You Could Be My Unintended
by damngators
Summary: Being a father is tough. Being a single father is strenuous. Being a single teenage father is overwhelming. Being a single teenage father who also happens to be gay? Let's just throw the thesaurus out the window
1. Chapter 1

Being a father is tough. Being a single father is strenuous. Being a single teenage father is overwhelming. Being a single teenage father who also happens to be gay? Let's just throw the thesaurus out the window and leave it at tough. Because no words describe exactly how hard it is to be raising a baby at the age of 17 when fatherhood was never even a remote possibility in my mind to begin with.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to have children. At least not children of my own flesh and blood. I imagined that maybe one day when I had found the man of my dreams and settled down after a successful Broadway career that my faceless (for now) husband and I would go through the process of adopting a child, selecting a cute little boy or girl who had bright eyes and a thirst for knowledge and we would dote on said child and we would all live happily ever after. Or not. Maybe I wouldn't even have children. Who knows?

Any imagined future I had went up in smoke when I woke up hung-over and naked next to a girl whose name I couldn't even remember after an attempt to loosen up and have some fun with my friends.

Flashes of the night before played back through my mind as I scrambled to find my clothes. Vague recollections of loud music and way too many shots and the words "chug, chug, chug" and the feel of a plastic nozzle in my mouth as Puck and Finn held my legs in the air for my keg stand were all that came to me. This girl, I had absolutely no memory of. How did this happen? And what exactly _had_ happened?

I was still under enough alcoholic influence that it took me about ten minutes of frantic floor searching to even realize that I was in my own bedroom and that my goal of covering my nudity could be easily solved by simply reaching into my closet and grabbing the first things my hands landed on. This happened to be a white button down with french cuffs and a pair of plaid bermuda shorts. My not giving a single rats furry behind at my mismatch was a clue to just how bad I was freaking out.

Now that I knew where I was and I was no longer naked, my thoughts moved onto more unpleasant matters. Who was this girl in my bed? She was turned on her side away from me so all I could see of her was a stretch of dark skin along her back where the sheet had pulled down and a mess of dark wavy hair. How did she end up in my bed, with me, with both of us naked? I mean, I was pretty sure she was naked but I was _not_ going to lift that sheet to confirm my suspicions.

"What the hell did I do last night?" I whispered to myself.

My head felt terrible, my mouth tasted like a foot, and my whole body was sore, my left hip in particular. It felt like I had popped it out of socket or something.

How the hell did we even get back to my house from the party? Did I drive drunk? My dad would kill me. Scratch that, he would give me an hour long lecture about the dangers of drinking and driving and ask me what would my mom think of my behavior and then he would watch me slowly die of guilt about disappointing both him and my deceased mother.

The guilt was already pouring over me without the help of my father when Jane Doe decided to wake up.

"Mmm. Morning."

She sat up and stretched, the sheet falling swiftly from her very naked body and I quickly averted my eyes. I heard her giggle. The sound would have been cute if I wasn't freaking out right then. Her voice, it seemed, had triggered my memory and a wave of images flashed through my mind.

_I was running my fingers through dark, silky curls. _

"_You have absolutely gorgeous hair." _

_A smile and a giggle. "Why thank you. You're cute."_

_I smile back. "I try." _

_Wide green eyes lock with mine. "So what's your name?" _

"_Kurt. And you are?" _

"_Simone. You wanna get out of here? I'll let play with my hair some more." _

"_Yeah, okay."_

_Someone must have moved my car. It's the only explanation I can come up with as to why I can't find it._

"_I'll drive, just tell me how to get to your place." _

_I nod repeatedly. "That would be lovely."_

_Puck probably moved my car just to mess with me and he's passed out in the yard right now with a poodle licking his face so I'll just have to ask him about it later._

"_Shhh! You'll wake up my dad and he gets grumpy when that happens," I say as quietly as I can while trying not to laugh. I've been cracking up ever since I fell out of Simone's car in the driveway. She keeps making these high-pitched, breathy snorts in her attempt to keep from laughing out loud and the sound is just so funny. Like the hiccups, only weirder. _

"_So will he be mad if he finds me here?" _

_I swing my arm wildly in a dismissive gesture. "Nah, I have girls over all the time." _

_She laughs now, but it's no longer hysterical, it's deep and throaty. "Ooh, you are such a player, Kurt."_

_I can't help my own little giggle at that._

As more and more of the night before came back to me, I made a dash to my bathroom to throw up noisily into the toilet. Thank you dad for not having the patience for my morning primping routine and turning what used to be a storage space into my own personal bathroom.

I looked up after a few minutes to see Simone leaning in the doorway, now clad in my tunic shirt from last night. At least she wasn't naked anymore. And I couldn't deny that that shade of green really made her eyes pop and suited her coppery complexion. Her hair was disheveled but still undeniably beautiful, a quick spritz of anti-frizz hairspray and a wide tooth comb and-why was I making her over in my mind! Back to the matter at hand.

"Uh, hi," I managed, my voice sounding like I had gargled with gravel.

She smirked at me before offering me a hand up from the floor. I eyed it warily for a minute.

"Thanks," I said as she pulled me to my feet easily. Damn, she was tall. Like, Amazon tall. She towered over me causing me to crane my neck to look her in the face. I was hit by a wave of nervousness on top of my already overwhelming bad hangover. I didn't want to piss her off because I was pretty sure she could pummel me into the ground and I was too weak at that moment to even try to defend myself.

"I don't suppose you could tell me we didn't have sex last night, could you?" I laughed nervously.

"I could," she said lightly. Those two words had my heart leaping with joy. "But I would be lying."

I could feel the blood draining from my face, and suddenly I was hovering over the toilet once again. My stomach was already empty, but my body continued with its useless heaving.

"Well, I've never gotten that reaction before," she said sarcastically. The sound of running water didn't register in my brain until I felt the cool cloth on the back of my neck. My retching eased and I stood shakily.

"You okay?"

I looked over—up—at this girl who I had apparently given my virginity to and tears filled my eyes. Damn my oversensitive emotions. I let out a shaky breath, trying to form words, but all that came out was a strangled gasp.

"It wasn't bad if that's what you're thinking." Her smile was half-hearted. She seemed to be actually worried about me.

I took another deep breath to steady myself. "You're very tall," I said dumbly.

"Ha! I wasn't expecting that to be the next thing out of your pretty mouth." Her smile broadened. She turned on her heel and strode back to bed, sitting and patting the spot next to her. I followed her reluctantly.

I sat down slowly, my hip aching at the movement. _Don't think about why it probably hurts. Just don't think about it._ "I want to apologize to you for my behavior last night, even though I don't really remember much." I glanced up her shyly. She stared back at me boldly, her smile never leaving her face.

"You are such a sweetheart, you know it?" Simone's deep laugh filled the room, making my head throb a little more. "You didn't take advantage of me, Kurt. If anything you were almost too nice about everything. You let me take the lead on everything. I even had to strip you myself."

Kurt snorted derisively. "Yeah, I imagine you did."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gone was the concern, annoyance taking its place.

Her tone riled me up, the ache in my body temporarily forgotten. "It means that I'm gay and up until a few moments ago I always thought I would lose my virginity to someone tall, dark, handsome and _male_. You only fit half that bill," I looked at her thoughtfully, the anger draining from me as the drums begin pounding in my head again. "Although I must admit, even I find you absolutely beautiful." There was a long silence filled only with the sound of breathing.

"And I think that's my cue to leave." She stood quickly, shimmying into jeans grabbed hastily from the floor. A pair of lace panties were quickly shoved into her pocket as she slid her shoes onto her feet. She glanced around the room frantically for a moment. "I can't find my shirt. Or my bra."

"Hey, calm down. I'll help you look." I reached for her hand but she flinched away from me like she was afraid of me. Seriously? "What is wrong with you?"

"Oh, I don't know, I've just been told that I pretty much raped you last night," she shrieked. Once again, thank you Dad. If not for the soundproofing of the basement the entire neighborhood would know I was no longer a virgin.

"What? No, Simone. Just, no." I pulled her into my arms, ignoring how she stiffened at my touch. I rubbed my hand along her back in circles, attempting to soothe her. Her breathing was erratic. I was afraid she was going to pass out if she didn't calm down. "I'm not saying that at all. I promise you, if I didn't want to do whatever we did, I would have stopped you. I'm small and I'm gay but I am quite the badass, if I do say so myself." She laughed at that, and her breathing began to slow. "I'm bullied at school and I've been taking self-defense classes for a couple of years, so yeah, if I had wanted you to stop, I would have made you." I held her at arm's length so she would meet my eyes. Hers were glassy with unshed tears and her lips were quivering. It broke my heart. She really was beautiful, even when she was nearly hysterical.

"But you're gay," she said pointedly. "How could you have wanted to have sex with me? I'm a girl."

I chuckled lightly. "If you knew me you would know that I appreciate beauty." I smiled at her. She gave me a watery smile in return. "Apparently, I appreciate it even more when alcohol is involved." She laughed at that and suddenly the tension was gone.

I stood up, feeling a little more human now than I had half an hour ago. I held my hand out to help her up, our roles reversed from just a little while ago. She took it and I pulled her along with me up the stairs and into the kitchen.

I made us both breakfast and we talked for a while more before she gave me a hug and wished me luck on finding my prince charming. "You know, I only took half of your virginity," she said slyly. "You still have another half to give to your special someone." I blushed furiously which only made her laugh harder. Then she walked out of my life forever. Or so I thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Months passed as I did my best to block that fateful night of alcoholic indulgence from my mind. I had sworn off drinking ever again after that night. And I thought puking on Ms. Pillsbury was bad…

It's not like I had too many opportunities to get in that state again anyways. I quit the football team just two weeks after that little incident and was subsequently removed from the party invite list. I joined the Cheerios squad later that year, but Cheerios parties were more like junior high sleepovers without the popcorn or sugary snacks. Although some of the girls did empty their stomachs without the involvement of alcohol, but we all just pretended like we didn't notice the retching sounds coming from the bathroom. Pointing out someone's eating disorder was not polite party etiquette.

So imagine my surprise when I answer my ringing doorbell the first Saturday of May and there stands my one and only one-night- stand.

"Err, hello?" I meant to say this politely but it came out as more of a question. I just couldn't believe she was here. I mean, how the hell did she even find my house again? She'd been here once, and I'm sure her navigational skills at that time weren't the greatest.

I realized that I was staring up and openly gaping, never having moved from the doorway. I quickly took a step back and ushered her into the house. She moved slowly but I hardly paid any attention as my mind was still reeling from her mere presence. She didn't hesitate as she moved from the foyer and into the living room pausing to stand before the sofa with her back to me.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked more out of habit than real courtesy at that moment. She peered over her shoulder at me and smirked. She looked the same, though different somehow. Her face was rounder, softer. It suited her though, she was still amazingly beautiful and there was a kind of glow to her skin that I hadn't noticed before. Of course, my past memories of her consisted of about an hour and a half, most of which I spent on my own panicked thoughts.

"You've gotten taller," she replied. I blushed, causing her smirk to widen.

"Growth spurt," I responded dismissively. Her smirk was gone in an instant, her face suddenly much too somber. I stepped forward with my hands out, but paused, unsure of what had upset her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"God, you're just a kid," she whispered turning from me to stare at the mantel.

Her remark stung. My inner bitch flared up and before I could stop it I snarked back, "Thanks, Grandma."

"Ha!"

She was shaking. Laughing at me. This pissed me off even more. "What is so damn funny?"

Her laughter stopped, but the shaking didn't. "You're close, but no fucking cigar."

"Excuse me?" I was livid at this point. Did she really come back to my home seven months later just to make fun of me? Who the hell does that?

She didn't answer me. She simply turned and removed the trench coat she'd been wearing when I answered the door. I hadn't thought about it then, but really it was much too warm to be wearing something so heavy and dark. She dropped the coat to the floor.

Now usually, I detest people just throwing their things around like that. A place for everything and everything in its place and all that jazz. But I didn't see the coat hit the floor, or even hear the muffled thump of its landing. My entire consciousness was focused in on her. Or more specifically her stomach. Her huge, rounded stomach.

Oh. Shit.

"Please tell me you're not here to tell me what I think you're here to tell me," I pleaded, hoping my convoluted sentence made some sort of sense to her.

Her eyes were sad as she repeated the same line from October. "I could. But I would be lying."

My mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no words ever made it out. My random mind interjected that I probably looked like a fish out of water.

I didn't realize that I was backing away from her until I hit the wall, which I promptly slid down, knocking a picture frame to the floor in the process. I grabbed it without thinking and clutched it to my chest. It was the last family photo with my mother, taken just months before she died. I held on to it for dear life.

"Mine?" I managed at last.

She nodded with tears streaming down her face. And that did it for me. I was crying like a baby curled up on the floor while she stood in my living room with the proof of our night causing her back to bow inwards.

I took a few deep breaths, in and out, before wiping my eyes and standing. Leaving the frame on the carpet I made my way to her, holding my hands out in front of me as if approaching a wild animal. She didn't shy away from my touch as I helped ease her onto the sofa and settled beside her. Neither of us spoke for a long while, she sat there crying silently while my mind worked in overdrive. There were so many questions I needed to ask, but I was afraid that she would start crying harder and then I would start crying and then I'd have to calm both of us down again and __!

Okay. Deep breath. Okay. Again. Okay. One more for good measure. Okay.

"So I guess we have a few things to discuss," I said quietly. I was right about her sobbing getting worse, but I kept my own emotions in check. I grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. Her returning grip was fierce. Her sobbing quieted some and she nodded.

"I guess my first question would be why are you telling me now?" I looked up at her as she bit her lip to hold in another sob. "I mean, why did you wait so long?"

"I didn't even know myself until about six weeks ago," Simone murmured. This revelation threw me for a loop. How was that even possible? My confusion must have been clear on my face because she smirked at me again, though the effect was ruined by the tear tracks on her face. "I guess I'm one of those lucky rare women who still get their period for the first few months of pregnancy. It's uncommon but it happens. I was sick for about two weeks in November but since I wasn't missing I just thought it was a bug. Cold and flu season and all that good shit." She laughed bitterly, and then winced.

My heart rate doubled when she pressed her free hand to her abdomen with a grimace. __!

What I wasn't expecting was for her to take my left hand that was still gripping hers and shove it against her stomach. My addled brain was still thinking she was in labor and was about to break my hand like you see in the movies when I felt it.

I'd never been around a pregnant woman until this year with Quinn being in Glee. To be totally honest, Quinn scared the living hell out of me with her crazy hormonal mood swings. Even when she was in one of her sweet and sappy moods i had never taken her up on the offer of feeling little Drizzle's kicks. It weirded me out knowing something was moving in there, like a creature out of a bad sci-fi flick.

But this, this was totally different than I had ever imagined. I felt the baby, our baby, _my_ _baby_, thumping against the back of my hand, pressing harder than I would have thought it could. I untangled my fingers from Simone's so I could lay my palm against her stomach and wait for another nudge. I felt it again, stronger this time. It was the most amazing thing I had ever felt in my entire life.

"Wow," I whispered. I didn't know when I had started crying again but I wiped the tears from my face on reflex.

"Yeah, he's quite the kicker," Simone sighed, relaxing now that the baby's movements had lessened.

I beamed with pride and spoke without thought, "Gets that from me."

She laughed at that and gave me a sideways grin. "What makes you think that?"

"I was the kicker for the Titans this year," I said with a grin. I couldn't seem to stop smiling. "Why else would I have been at that football party last fall?" I paused, her pronoun usage finally registering with me. "He? It's a boy?"

She smiled and nodded, a pained look on her face. I was immediately on edge again. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't think you would get so emotional about all this. It wasn't what I intended." She sighed. "I'm not keeping this kid."

"Wait, what?" I replied.

"I'm in the United States on an educational visa. I go back to Egypt in August." She said with finality. "I don't plan on arriving back home with a baby in tow."

I was speechless. This wasn't something that happened often. I was always ready with some kind of snappy comeback or witty reply. My mind had gone blank.

But apparently that didn't stop my mouth from working on its own. "I'll keep him."

Wait, did I just say that?


	3. Chapter 3

My head was spinning. Had I really just said that I would take on the responsibility of a baby? I'd never even had a dog.

"Are you serious?" Simone asked quietly. She was looking at me like I'd grown a second head. Her green eyes were wider than I'd have thought they could be and her mouth was hanging slack.

Was I serious? My selfish teenage mind was screaming at me that this was a terrible idea, what was I thinking, I was only 16, I was still in high school, how would I do this? But another part of me wanted to see this new life that I had somehow created. Against all odds, the only gay kid in Lima, Ohio had made another person, it was happening and there was no use in pretending it wasn't.

I was going to be a father either way. It was up to me to decide if I was going to be a real dad.

"Absolutely." I met Simone's incredulous gaze with my own determined one. "I want this."

"But, why?"

She must have seen the anger flare in my face because she was quickly holding her hands out to stop my response.

"I mean, you're a kid. You're in high school. Are you going to college next year? You seem smart enough for college but how are you going to do that with a baby? I mean that's why I…can't…" She trailed off at the sound of my laughter. "What's funny?"

"How old do you think I am?" I asked her, my best smirk still in place. She stared at me, confused. "I'm sixteen. I'll be a junior in high school next year."

Her eyes grew wider still. I was amazed.

"Oh God! I'm going to jail for having sex with a minor!"

I couldn't help but laugh again. This day was getting more and more surreal.

"I won't tell if you won't," I managed to gasp out between fits of laughter.

"I don't think that line of reasoning works here, Kurt," she shrieked at me. Damn, but those hormones must be in full swing for her to go from guilty and crying to raging so quickly. One more reason to be thankful that I liked boys.

This thought only caused me to laugh harder, which seemed to piss her off even more.

"This isn't funny, Kurt!" she fumed at me, standing now with her hands pressed to her lower back, the picture-perfect image of your stereotypical angry pregnant woman.

"But it is! It so is," I cried, my laughter making it harder to speak. "Because no one will believe it anyways! Kurt Hummel, gayest kid in Ohio, gets drunk and knocks up the hottest chick at the party!"

"What did you just say?" A quiet voice interrupted my rant and I froze. My breath caught in my throat and Simone's face paled drastically. I knew I had to turn around at some point but I really hoped that point never came.

"Kurt?" My father's voice was like steel and I knew that I had to face him. I stood slowly, feeling like the weight of everything I'd done was crashing down on me at once. I was so afraid at that moment.

"Hi, Dad," I said meekly. He stared at me, his face stony. We stared at each other for the longest stretch of time. It felt like an eternity. This deadlock was only broken when Simone let out a stifled gasp and I immediately whipped around to check on her. Her hand was pressed just under her ribcage, a pained grimace marring her otherwise beautiful face.

"Is he kicking again?" I asked quickly, pressing my hand gently below hers. I had my answer seconds later when I felt a hard pressure against my palm, not just kicking but pushing hard. He was so _strong_. Simone and I locked eyes, both of us smiling just a little. "I think he's trying to climb my ribs actually." I chuckled lightly.

My father cleared his throat noisily to bring us back to present situation. Oh. Yeah. Crap.

"Simone, I would like to introduce you to my father, Burt Hummel." I had to give her credit, she only hesitated for a split second before stepping forward and presenting her hand for him to shake.

"Lovely to meet you, sir," she said shyly. Dad grunted and gave her hand a quick squeeze. He looked at me expectantly. Yeah, I guess that's my cue.

"So, uh, Simone and I met at a party about seven months ago. You know, when I was still on the football team?" Dad's face remained expressionless so I just kept going. "Yeah, I guess, well, we both had too much to drink and one thing led to another and…yeah." I ended lamely. I guess my sense of the dramatic decided to dominate for a moment because the next words I heard come out of my mouth were ones I knew were totally inappropriate at the time. "Congratulations, Grandpa!" I really didn't know what the hell was wrong with me that day but words just kept falling out of my mouth with no input from my brain.

Lucky for me, I was an expert on colors, so I could name each shade of red that my father's face turned over the next minute. There were a lot.

Much to my surprise, there was no huge blowout. He didn't scream or yell. He didn't say anything at all. He sighed, turned on his heel, and strode out of the room. I felt like I'd been slapped. I think a blow would have hurt me less.

In that moment I thought that my father, who had always been there for me through everything, had abandoned me. I went numb.

"Simone," he called from the kitchen. "What do you like on your pizza?"

All in all, the night couldn't have gone better. Yeah, it was horribly uncomfortable at first and it took almost an hour and two-thirds of a large meat-lovers pizza for Simone to stop shaking, but other than that it was a pretty good night. How I got so lucky to get the most understanding and accepting father in the entire world I didn't know, but I had never been so grateful to him in my life. Not even when I told him I was gay, because while that affected only me, this was my _son_ he was accepting with open arms. I only hoped that one day I would be as great a father as him.

We stayed in the kitchen until very early the next morning, talking about the future and what it held for all of us. Simone held firm that she didn't want to be a part of our baby's life and as much as I wanted to be angry about that I just couldn't. Neither of us had asked for this or expected it. She was overwhelmed and scared and just not ready. Even though I had never wanted us to be together, had never wanted to be with any woman actually, my thoughts kept returning to how lucky I was that this had happened. I was going to be a father! What would he look like? Would he get my blue eyes or Simone's green? I hoped he got her complexion; I was so fair that summertime was hell on me. What would he sound like? Oh god, I hoped for his sake my high voice wasn't an inherited trait. I wouldn't want him to get made fun of for his voice like I did.

And suddenly, I got an idea of how my father must have felt anytime I came home covered in garbage or sticky corn syrup. My son wasn't even born yet and already I wanted to protect him from the world. I would do anything to keep him from ever feeling like I had been made to feel at times. From the moment I had felt him kick, his hold on me grew. There was no way I could not want him.

Dad told Simone he would contact his lawyer later that morning and get the paperwork ready for her to give up her parental rights to the baby once it was born. He told her he would pay whatever legal fees necessary, but he did ask that she leave us with contact information. At her worried expression he assured her it would only be as a precaution in case of any medical issues where her family history might be needed. She wrote all this on a yellow legal pad along with a brief listing of all of her allergies and her blood type. She also wrote a lengthy letter, which she folded and gave to me.

"When he's older, if he asks, I'd like you to give this to him. If you want to," she said shyly. "You can read it if you like."

I simply took the letter, placed it into an envelope, sealed it and wrote For My Son across the top. She smiled at me and I took the opportunity to circle around the table and wrap her in a hug.

"Thank you," I whispered. She hugged me tighter in response and I felt the familiar wetness of tears soaking through my shirt. I wasn't sure if they were hers or mine.

"Alright, let's all get some sleep you guys." Dad's voice came from the living room where the pull-out couch had been made up with fresh sheets. I smiled at him and he smiled back tiredly before he headed down the hall to his room.

"I'll take the pull-out, you go get some sleep in my room," I told Simone. She yawned and made her way to the basement door, pausing long enough to mumble a farewell.

I flopped onto the sofa-bed exhausted. It had been a long day and in just a few short hours I would get to wake up and share my news with all my friends. Wonderful.


	4. Chapter 4

I wound up telling Finn first out of all the members of the New Directions for a few reasons. First off, his mom was dating my dad. I didn't want to be the cause of any dissention between them so Dad and I decided that we would tell the Hudson clan that there would soon be a new Hummel in the world at dinner Sunday evening. Secondly, his reaction to the news would give me an idea of how the rest of the glee club would respond and, even though I would never tell him this to his face for fear of his already over bloated ego getting any bigger and smothering us all, he was kind of the leader of the club and if he was there to back me up it would make my admission that much easier. Thirdly, I _did_ sort of kind of have a crush on him even if it was being shoved to the back of my mind due to more pressing concerns.

The morning—or more correctly, early afternoon—after our lengthy discussion of my child's future (_my_ _child_! I was still reeling over the idea of my becoming a father, at turns unbearably excited or completely terrified), Dad and I had breakfast together in tense silence. I knew that even though he had accepted my decision, he was still disappointed that I had gotten myself into the situation in the first place. When he was finished he rinsed his plate, grabbed a beer from the fridge, ruffled my hair and headed to the living room to watch some game on the big screen television. He still loved me, but I didn't know if our relationship would ever be what it was again.

Simone treaded into the kitchen just moments later. I was pretty sure she'd been waiting at the basement door for my dad to leave. If my smirk was showing itself she didn't mention it.

"Morning, sunshine," I said brightly. She grunted in response and grabbed the mug of tea I held out for her. She took a sip and grimaced.

"What the hell is this?" she sputtered.

"Chamomile," I said smugly. "You shouldn't have a lot of caffeine. Not good for the baby. Also, I don't know if you have been taking any kind of prenatal vitamin, but I have some multivitamins in my bathroom cabinet. Top shelf on the left."

She stared at me blank faced. "You certainly seem to know a lot more about pregnancy for a gay teenaged boy."

My smirk became more pronounced. "While you were sleeping in, I was doing research. I don't have a whole lot of time to learn how to take care of a baby and I don't want to put any more pressure on my father than absolutely necessary. I set up an appointment with Planned Parenthood for parenting classes and with the local health department for first-aid and CPR classes. They are going to give me some information on WIC and SCHIP to see if the baby will qualify for any type of aid programs." She continued to stare at me, dumbfounded. "I also picked up a roast at the grocery store and prepared it for tonight's dinner. It is slow cooking as we speak."

"You're a morning person aren't you?" She glared at me as she sipped her tea. I smiled sweetly back.

"Yep. Now how would like some toast."

The hours before our dinner date with the Hudson's passed quickly. Simone and I exchanged numbers and I assured her that my phone would be glued to my hand in case she needed anything before she left. Her finals at the university were the following week but she said she would come by again next Saturday so we could talk more.

I programmed her number in with the loudest and most obnoxious ringtone available so I could be sure to hear even if I was dead asleep. I wouldn't want to miss the birth of my child because of a missed call. Of course, we hadn't discussed whether or not I would be with her during the birth. I knew that I wanted to be, but whether or not she would want me with her was another matter. I mean, it wasn't like I hadn't already seen her completely exposed, though thankfully I couldn't remember most of our encounter. What I did remember sent shivers down my spine. Girl parts were definitely not for me.

Dismissing that train of thought, I pulled the roast from the oven and set the table. Carole and Finn were due anytime. I went through the deep breathing exercises that had seemed to do the trick yesterday. Apparently, they weren't up to the task today because all I managed to do was make myself dizzy.

When the doorbell rang my heart jumped into my throat. Why was I so nervous about this?

Deep down I knew the reason I was nervous was because my father was really happy for the first time in a long time and whether or not he got to stay so happy would depend on how Carole took the news. She'd already gone through her own teenage daddy drama this year, and even though Finn hadn't turned out to be the father of Quinn's baby, it couldn't have been a pleasant experience for her. I just hoped that she loved my dad enough to stick with him through this.

I was pouring glasses of sweet tea when Dad, Carole and Finn came into the room laughing together. I was the only one who noticed that my father's laughter was a little off. He met my gaze and I could see the anxiety in his eyes. He pulled Carole's chair out for her and we all settled in. The conversation during dinner consisted of the general "how was your week?" and "have you heard that new song on the radio?" but when Carole turned to me and asked "Anything big plans for this summer?" I choked on a carrot.

Dad's strong hands clapped me on the back until I coughed the renegade vegetable into my napkin. I looked up to see all eyes on me and my appetite disappeared. They were waiting for me to say something. I panicked and turned to my dad. He sighed and dropped his fork to his plate.

"Carole, Finn, there is something Kurt and I would like to tell you." He gave me a stern look like he thought I might run from the room. To be honest, the thgouth had crossed my mind. "There will be a new addition to our household pretty soon and we wanted to tell you guys first."

"Dude, are you guys getting a dog? Cause that would be so cool," Finn said excitedly. I couldn't help the small hysterical giggle that escaped my lips. Dad's glare stopped me from having another outburst but I could see that our exchange had caught Carole's attention.

"Burt? What's going on?" She glanced from my father to me and back again. "Kurt?"

I pushed my chair back from the table and stood, my eyes trained on my half-eaten roast. "No, Finn. We're not getting a dog." I forced myself to look at him. His face was a mixture of disappointment and confusion but I knew he was waiting for me to continue. "Do you remember that party we went to back in October?" His confusion seemed to only increase as I spoke so I figured I'd better just get this out as quickly as possible. Like ripping off a band-aid. "Well, I drank too much and took a girl home and I don't really remember too much but now she's pregnant and she doesn't want the kid so I'm keeping him by myself."

There. Done. Easy.

Finn just continued to stare at me like he was waiting for me to continue, like he was waiting for the punchline of the joke. I stared back. Finally, after a few moments, he seemed to realize that what I'd just told them wasn't some kind of elaborate joke and his face mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Dude!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course, his reaction would be summed up in that one word. I turned to my father and Carole to see how she was taking the news. She was looking at my father whose face was devoid of expression. She turned to me, tears in her eyes, but she was doing her best not to let them fall. I held my head high. I didn't want her pity.

She rose from her chair and I thought she was going to leave, just walk out of my father's life. I couldn't blame her, but it still hurt. Instead she walked slowly around the table and wrapped me in her arms.

She held me tight and eventually I wrapped my arms around her and let myself break down. She held me while I cried. She rubbed soothing circles across my back and murmured comforting nonsense and for the first time in a long time, I thought this must be what it feels like to have a mom.

I could hear Dad and Finn talking quietly but I didn't want to let go of Carole just yet and she seemed to be happy to hold me for now.

We all eventually moved into the living room where I let them fire their questions at me. Carole's questions had to do with how I was going manage balancing a baby and school and a social life and what this baby was going to mean for my future. I did my best to answer her.

Finn's questions centered around Simone. They weren't even really questions.

"Dude, I can't believe this! That really tall, r_eally _hot chick? The absolute hottest chick at the entire party and you took her home. This is unbelieveable! Puck is gonna be so _pissed_!"

"Really, Finn?" I gave him my best bitch-glare. "That's what you choose to take from this entire conversation?"

"Sorry, but, Dude! I was outmanned by a gay dude! It's a lot to take in."

"I'm having a baby, Finn! Don't you think that's a little more outrageous than me being attractive to a girl? I. Am. Going. To. Be. A. Father."

"Yeah, I guess that part hasn't hit me yet." He was staring at me as if in awe. Like I was suddenly some kind of god due to the fact that I had gotten laid. I was just glad he didn't seem too disturbed and hoped he would help me out with telling the others.

"Yeah, well, it's knocked me into next week, thank you very much." I bit my lip and tried to put together my next words in a way that wouldn't make him uncomfortable. "I kind of wanted to ask your advice, if you wouldn't mind. I mean, even though it turned out to not be yours, how did you deal when you thought you were going to be a dad?"

He looked at me, seeming to study my face. He was wearing what I referred to as his 'deep in thought' expression. He was silent so long that I thought he wasn't going to answer me.

"I was so scared at first. I mean, so scared. And I cried, all over Mr. Schuester and my mom. I thought my life was over. But then, I got kinda happy about it. I was gonna be a dad and have this little person. He was gonna be brand new, without all the bad crap inside him. I could teach him to be a good man and he could be better than me. And I would be a part of that."

Wow. I always thought that Finn had the depth of a puddle, but his answer was really well thought out and meaningful. I was impressed. And he wasn't done, either.

"Kurt, I don't know if I would have been a good dad. I'm not super bright and I'm really clumsy. And I sleep really heavy. Like, I slept through a tornado at my aunt's house once." My eyes bugged a little at that. Finn grinned at my reaction. "Yeah, it was really cool. They found a cow in a tree a mile from her house." So much for that depth. "But what I mean is, I don't know if I would have been able to handle it really. But you, man, you'll do fine. You're like, the smartest kid in our class and you're super tough, I know you are because you take so much crap at school but it never stops you from being who you are. And you care about everybody. So yeah, you'll be a great dad. You got nothing to worry about."

Then he smiled that dopey little half-smile that made me fall in love with him last year. It pulled at my heart again but not in a romantic sense. More of a comradery of sorts. It was something we had in common, something we could talk about. And to hear that he thought so highly made me extremely happy. Maybe we'd become friends.

I huffed out the breath I'd been holding. "Thank you, Finn. You don't know how much that means to me." His smile broadened. "So would you be willing to stand up with me when I tell the rest of the New Directions? I'm not looking forward to the ordeal or the questions that are bound to be asked. It would really help to know that someone's got my back when the full force of their insanity is focused on me."

"Yeah, no problem dude." Much to my surprise, Finn wrapped me in a one-armed hug and ruffled my hair. I huffed indignantly but I was inwardly pleased.

Well, one down, ten to go.


	5. Chapter 5

I felt like I was standing in front of a firing squad. All I needed was a cigarette and a blindfold. But smoking would ruin my voice and I would not have the hour long process that was my hair style ruined by anything so cliché.

Ten pair of eyes bored into my face and one into the back of my head. Only two things were keeping me from wilting under the intensity of the stares: My iron determination to never show weakness to my peers and, likely more importantly, Finn Hudson's reassuring hand on my shoulder.

I had dropped a bomb in the choir room and now I was awaiting the fallout. This silence couldn't last forever.

"Wait, what?" Noah Puckerman's astonished exclamation broke everyone's' reverie and they all began talking at once. The sound was like a monkey house during a thunderstorm. On a full moon. On Friday the thirteenth. It was chaos.

Kurt Hummel's ability to procreate was apparently riot-inducing. I felt somewhat offended.

"Guys. Guys, come on." Mr. Schuester's voice was faint even to me and I knew he was only a few feet behind me. "GUYS!" His raised voice silenced all others in the room. Mr. Schue didn't yell often. He usually didn't have the need. He gestured to me to indicate that the floor was once again mine.

I looked at the incredulous looks of my fellow glee members. I knew that this would be difficult for them to process, but I honestly hadn't expected the reaction to be so explosive. I was doubly grateful for Finn right then.

"Anybody got any questions for me? Because, honestly, I would rather answer everyone at once so I don't have to repeat myself any more than necessary." I did my best to keep my sassy voice strong. I didn't want them to know just how much I was worried about whether or not they would accept me after this. We had all been there for Quinn, but before her baby scandal knocked her off her pedestal she had ruled this school.

I, on the other hand, was an outcast. A freak. That boy who liked boys and sounded like a girl and dressed like a girl. Sure, I was on the cheerleading squad, but I had never really connected with any of the Cheerio's other than Brit and Santana so my glee friends were the only friends that I had. If they left me I would have no one.

Quinn, bless her, was the first one to speak. "Kurt?"

I looked at her, this former queen bitch who was now an outcast, just like me. I remember when her face was permanently frozen in a glare of disdain for anyone lower than her on the social food chain. Now it was full of compassion and understanding.

I took in a shaky breath as she gingerly pushed herself from her seat and made her way to me. She placed on hand on my cheek and I felt tears fall from my eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Kurt. We're all family and we will all be here for you. Just like you have been for all of us." She turned to face the rest of the club, her icy stare in place and so much more intense what with the extra doses of hormones pumping through her. "Won't we, guys?"

Everyone murmured to the affirmative and I gave them all a watery smile.

"Welcome to the baby-daddy club, Hummel," Puck called out. I snorted in response and the tension in the room was broken.

I answered a few questions before returning to my seat with Mercedes and Tina who were squealing excitedly over helping me shop for a nursery and a layette. And of course names. Each of the New Directions had made at least one suggestion. Some were nice, such as Artie's suggestion of Terrance, which he said meant 'smooth and polished' "just like you, Kurt," while others were plain out ridiculous.

"But you're a dolphin, Kurty, why not name your dolphin baby Flipper?" the Cheerio pouted.

I smiled indulgently at her. "I'll think about it, Boo." Her smile was worth the small lie.

I was grateful for all the different suggestions, but I already had a name in mind. The more I thought about it, the more sure I was that it was absolutely perfect.

As big as my drama might have been to our group, we did have regionals to practice for and soon enough the subject was turned to song selection and choreography.

When the hour was over and everone had left but me, Mr. Schuester approached me quietly. I was honestly worried about him, after having gone through so much with his crazy wife faking a pregnancy and trying to steal Quinn's unborn child. I didn't know what to say to him really. I knew I wasn't one of his favorite students, especially not after the whole Cheerios debacle.

"Kurt," he said softly. I stood silent, waiting for him to continue. "I wanted to talk to you if you've got a few minutes." He cocked his head towards his office, questioning me. I nodded and followed him from the room.

"Please, have a seat, Kurt." He moved behind his desk and plopped into his own chair wearily. I sat in the small folding chair across from him, my back ramrod straight. I didn't know what he was going to say exactly, but my mind was already forming a defense plan.

"I wanted to talk to you about your future, Kurt," he started without preamble. I had to respect his straightforward manner, though it stung a bit. Had it been anyone but me, there would have at least been _some_ social niceties. "I know we may not be close, but I do think I know you fairly well after almost a year. I know that you are intelligent, determined, and stronger than you seem, so I know that you haven't' made this decision lightly and you won't be swayed to change your mind no matter what anyone says. Family is important to you. I find that very admirable, Kurt." I worked to keep my expression neutral as he spoke. "And I know that you know that this won't be easy for you. You're only a sophomore. You have two more years of high school left and I know that you want to go to college."

Keeping my game face on was proving difficult. I knew everything that he was saying to me was true, had told myself these thing numerous times already, but hearing them said out loud made it seem a lot more daunting.

"I took a look through your file during the last half of glee practice." My eyebrows raised at this. I hadn't even noticed he'd left. I'd been too caught up in listening to my girls and trying to ignore Rachel Berry to pay attention to much else. "You take an awful lot of AP classes. And some of the classes you took in middle school could be transferred into high school credits. If so, we may be able to set up your next two years in school as half-days to give you more time with your son and also to help ease the financial burden of child-care while still keeping you as a member of the graduating class of 2012."

My neutral mask had shattered as he spoke. I could feel the shock on my features but I couldn't do anything about it. Mr. Schue smiled at me kindly. "You are an amazing person who is going to do great things, Kurt. I would hate to see you not live up to your potential because of one bad decision."

I must have really not been in control of myself because one look at my face had Mr. Schue backpedaling immediately. "I was referring to the drinking and unprotected sex, not to your decision to take care of your child. Choosing to be a part of your son's life is the most amazing decision you are likely to ever make, and while you may be a little young, I highly doubt you will ever regret it." His eyes softened and I could see the sheen of tears that he was trying to keep from falling. "It's something I hope to be able to do one day myself."

I took a moment to collect my thoughts before I spoke. I hadn't expected him to say anything like that. I figured he would give me some sort of lecture, not offer to help me. I had underestimated just how much this man really cared about his students.

"Thank you, Mr. Schuester, I really don't know what to say." I stood and smiled at him, a genuine smile, not my usual smirk. His returning grin was huge. "I would appreciate that and it would help me very much." I was still feeling a little dazed at what had just transpired. I couldn't believe how everyone was being so supportive. I'd been on my own so long that I wasn't used to having people on my side. I liked it.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't see him moving forward until he was wrapping me in a loose hug. It took me a moment to reciprocate the show of affection. I wasn't used to so much physical contact, but the last few days had shown me that I enjoyed it, needed it even. My father had never been a touchy-feely person and my mother had been dead for so long that the memories of her were faded to a pair of blue eyes and a sparkling laugh. Not many people were willing to touch me, afraid to 'catch the gay' as it were. Until three days ago, the only person I would hug was Mercedes. This was a little overwhelming.

"If you need anything at all, Kurt, even if it's just to talk, call me, day or night."

And with that I made my way out of the small office, through the halls, and out the doors to the parking lot, climbing in my car happier than I could remember being in a long time.

Time flew and Regionals were upon us. We rocked. I mean, we were really good. It didn't matter that we didn't win, we did our best and I was proud of us. Of course, Quinn suddenly going into labor immediately after our performance was an unexpected hiccup, but other than that, and, well, losing, I thought it was a great day for us.

Seeing Beth, a brand new light in the world, was amazing to me. She was so tiny and fragile. I knew that soon enough I would be looking through that nursery window glass at my own child. It all made this whole situation so much more real to me.

The classes I was taking at Planned Parenthood were helping, but I was still nervous about becoming a father. This wasn't going to be like school, where if I messed up I would get a bad mark. I could potentially screw this child up beyond repair. What the hell was I thinking? I didn't know a damn thing about being a father. Why did I think I could do this?

I was still freaking out three days later, though I had managed to keep it to myself. If anyone had noticed that I was stressed, they just blamed it on our loss and the impending doom of the glee club. I couldn't tell anyone what I was thinking. After all, I had talked a big game about being a real father and taking responsibility for my actions and now I was thinking that I was just a kid and I couldn't do it and _I shouldn't have to._

I was talking with Mercedes the Monday evening after Regionals, both of us reeling over the fact that Coach Sylvester had gotten Figgins to keep the glee club on for another year, when I heard the annoying beep that meant I had an incoming call.

"Hold on Cedes," I said to the diva.

"Yeah, go on, White Boy."

I glanced at the ID to see who was interrupting my girl chat, and to my surprise it was Simone.

"Cedes, I have to take this. I'll call you right back, okay?" I answered the call, my heart beating wildly.

"Simone, hey, I've been meaning to call you. I—"

"Kurt!" Simone's panting voice chilled my blood. This didn't sound good. "Kurt, you have to get to the hospital now."

"Simone, what's going on?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Just get over here, dammit! The baby's coming!"

"What?" I gasped. "He's not due for six weeks, what do you mean he's coming now?" My voice was on par with a dog whistle by then.

"Kurt! For the love of all that is—AAAAGGH!" Her threat cut off with the most terrifying scream I'd ever heard in my life, but it got me moving.

"Simone, are you at the hospital?" I was running up the stairs as I spoke. Dad heard my door slam open and jumped from the couch.

"What's going on Kurt?" My panicked expression along with another scream from my phone must have been more than enough for him to get the situation. He threw on oh his jacket and reached for my keys. "Get in the car, I'll drive."

"Simone? We're on our way, okay?" I assured her as Dad backed haphazardly out of the drive. "Everything's going to be alright." I winced as she let loose with another gut-wrenching scream and the connection went dead. "Simone? Simone!"

I turned to my father, fear coursing through me. "Dad. The call cut off. What does that mean?"

He kept his eyes on the road as he sped through the familiar streets of our neighborhood. "Well from what I could hear it sounded like she's in active labor so a nurse or something probably took her phone. We'll be there soon, Son, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"But it's too early," I whispered, my throat dry. I'd researched this and knew that the optimal gestation was at least 38 weeks. Simone was only at 34 weeks.

"Kurt, babies get born way earlier than this all the time and they come out just fine, okay? Don't you worry 'til there's something to worry about." He said this calmly but I noticed he pressed harder on the accelerator, breaking the speed limit in his effort to get us to the hospital as quickly as possible.

We arrived at the hospital in record time. Dad parked crooked across two spaces but neither of us cared. I flat out ran into the building and to the closest nurses' station.

"Mubarak. Simone Mubarak?" I panted to the woman behind the counter. She looked at me like I was crazy. I probably did look a little insane, but I didn't really care. "She's having a baby."

She typed away on her keyboard and scanned the screen. "Mubarak. Yep, she's in labor and delivery right now, but they will be moving her to the OR in just a few minutes for an emergency C-section."

"Oh, oh my God." I was in full-fledged panic mode now. "Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"

She just shook her head. "That's all the information I have here, Mister?"

"Hummel," I supplied. "I'm the father. She's having my baby."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Okay, well, I can tell you that with an emergency procedure like this you won't be allowed in the room. But you can head on into the maternity wing waiting room and I will call ahead to the nurses' station there and give them the go ahead to release any information to you. I will need to see your ID and give you a pass."

Dad made it to us right then, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. She turned to him with a small smile. "I assume you're the grandfather-to-be then?" His face lit up at that and he nodded. "Well then, I will need to see your ID too and make you a pass. Maternity is down this hall, second corridor to the left."

We made our way there and I told Dad what was going on. He didn't say anything, just grabbed my hand and squeezed. Then we waited.

About an hour later, a doctor in green scrubs came into the waiting room and his eyes landed on us. "Mr. Hummel?"

I stood, my legs shaking. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything went fine with the delivery. Ms. Mubarak is in recovery now. You can see her in another twenty minutes or so." This was good news he was delivering, but his face was grim. My heart sank.

"What about my son?"

He glanced from me to my father and back again. I could hear Dad getting to his feet behind me but I kept my eyes glued to the doctor. "Your son was born six weeks early but is doing just fine. He weighs six pounds even and is sixteen inches long. His lungs are functioning just fine which is a big concern with preemies." He stopped, but I knew there was more. Something was wrong. I couldn't ask him, couldn't speak at all. Thankfully, my father retained the power of speech and asked what we both needed to know.

"There's something else you're not telling us. What is it?"

"We are flying in a specialist to examine your son," He said slowly. Tears ran down my face, but I didn't bother wiping them away. "He's perfectly healthy so please don't worry about that, but there is an issue that we would like an experts opinion on."

"Tell us," my father growled.

The doctor looked me straight in the eyes and I did my best to hold his gaze without completely breaking down.

"Your son was born without any vocal cords. It's not unheard of, but it's something I've never seen myself before, so I would feel better having someone who has check your son out. This is just precautionary, as I said before; otherwise he is a perfectly healthy little boy."

"Can I see him?" I wanted to ask if I can hold him but I didn't, not wanting to push my luck.

The doctor smiled then and turned on his heel. "Follow me to the nursery, and you can hold him if you like."

I felt Dad's hand wrap around mine as we followed the doctor through another maze of hallways and then we were there. The nursery. There were only four babies in the room and only one wrapped in blue. There, in the far corner of that tiny little room was my son. _My_ _son_.

I entered the room quietly and the nurse on duty looked up at me and smiled. "Hummel?"

I nodded.

"Kelli called me from the nurses' station, said you were on your way." I heard her voice but I only had eyes for the blanket wrapped bundle in the tiny plastic cart next to her. "Would you like to meet your son?"

I nodded frantically, tears streaming down my face as I carefully made my way across the room. Then she placed this tiny bundle into my arms, lifting my left arm a little higher in a practiced manner.

I had never seen anything more beautiful in my life than the baby boy I held in my arms at that moment. His skin was the color of toffee and his hair was shining and black. He looked up at me with wide blue eyes and I couldn't help but stare back and smile.

I turned to my father, who was still hanging back by the doorway, probably afraid of damaging some of the fragile looking equipment that was in place throughout the room. I slowly made my way back to him, ever conscious of every little movement while I held my newborn baby in my arms.

I looked up to see my father crying, silently, but with the biggest smile on his face that I had ever seen.

"Dad," I said, happiness radiating even in my hushed tone. "I would like you to meet your grandson." I turned back to my son. I couldn't stop staring at his tiny little face with his big blue eyes. "Hey, Jude."


	6. Chapter 6

Jude Burton Hummel was born May 18, 2010 at 7:42 p.m. He had a head full of shiny black hair and caramel tinted skin and large blue eyes. Ten fingers, ten toes. He was perfect. I loved him on sight and the longer I held him the more that love grew.

The only thing that nagged in my mind was what the doctor had told me earlier. My son had no vocal cords. It didn't make him any less perfect in my mind but it did worry me. What did that mean exactly? Of course, I knew what it meant physically. Something had happened during development and he would never be able to speak or sing or laugh. This didn't affect his health in any way but how would it affect him growing up? He was already going to be seen as different by his peers for being raised by a single gay dad and now he was mute?

I shook my head to clear it. I would worry about that later. Right now I just wanted to concentrate on the wonder that was my son. _My son_.

After about ten minutes of just quietly amazing at this brand new person, I realized that my father was still standing next to me, smiling at us indulgently. My grin stretched across my face so wide that my cheeks hurt.

"Do you want to hold him?" I asked Dad and his eyes lit up. We were both moving with exaggerated care during the hand off and then he was holding his grandson in his arms like he was the most precious thing in the world. I was pretty sure he was.

"Hey, Jude. Welcome to the world, buddy. I'm your grandpa," he cooed quietly. I watched them for a moment before moving towards the door.

"Dad, I'm going to go see Simone. See how she's doing, you know?"

He nodded at me, his eyes never leaving Jude's face, grin still in place. I could hear him whispering nonsense to his grandson as I moved down the hall to the recovery ward.

I stopped at the gift shop for some flowers and made my way to Simone's room. Her door was open partway but it felt rude to just barge in so I knocked and waited for her response before entering.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked as I crossed the room to her bed. She looked like she'd been run through a washing machine. Her hair was lank and crazy and she had huge circles under her eyes, but she was still beautiful to me, and I knew she always would be. I might never want to be with her romantically and I didn't even know if we would be friends after this, but I would always love her for giving me that beautiful child.

"Like someone cut me in half, pulled out everything inside me, and shoved it all back in," she groaned at me. "Of course, that _is_ pretty much what they did so I guess all in all not too bad." She smiled faintly at me and patted a spot next to her on the bed.

"So, did you see him yet?" she asked quietly. I nodded and she sighed. "Does he look like me or you?"

"You didn't see him?" I asked, confused. Surely they would have shown him to her before they took him to the nursery.

"I didn't want to see him," she said just as quietly. "He's not mine. He's yours." Her words stunned me. I didn't understand how she could feel that way but I knew it wasn't my place to judge. She'd told me from the beginning that she didn't want to be a part of Jude's life. I wanted to respect her decision even if I didn't understand it.

"He's a little bit of me, mostly you." I bit my lip, not wanting to upset her but having to work to keep from gushing. "Do you want to know his name?" She took in a shaky breath and shook her head slowly.

"No. I'm sorry, but I don't want to know anything about him." She looked at me, pleading for understanding. "I didn't think it would be so difficult but I'm afraid that if I know anything about him I'll want to know more and I just can't do that. You have no idea what my family is like back home. It's better this way. For all of us. Especially him." She was right. I didn't really know anything about her.

"Okay. Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"In a minute, yeah. But right now, I could really use a hug if you would be so willing." She smiled at me with sadness in her eyes. I wrapped her in my arms gently and stroked her hair. We stayed like that for a few minutes before I felt her pull away and dropped my arms. I kissed her forehead lightly and stood.

"Well, Simone, you have all my information and I have yours." I backed towards the door. "If you ever need anything I'm just a phone call or a Facebook message away." She nodded and I turned to leave. I paused with my hand on the door. "You know, if you ever change your mind and want to be a part of his life, just let me know."

She nodded at me, her eyes full of unshed tears. This was going to be hard for her, whether it was the right decision or not. I barely heard her whisper as I started to exit. "Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"What will you tell him about me?"

"I will tell him that he has the most beautiful mother in the world who loved him so much that she wanted the best for him and she thought that Daddy would be better able to provide that. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "It's true, too, so there's that."

"Simone, I promise to take care of him." I looked at her one last time. I knew we would never see each other again after this. "I love you. I always will."

She turned away from to face the wall but I could hear the tears underneath the sarcasm in her voice. "Yeah, yeah, I'll always be your number one hag. I know. Goodbye, Kurt."

I closed the door on my way out, but I could still hear her when she started to sob.


	7. Chapter 7

I showed up to school the morning after Jude was born running on zero sleep and having spent my entire night in a blur of shopping for any and all items that would be needed to care for an infant.

After dragging my father away from his new pride and joy, we drove straight to the nearest Wal-Mart and proceeded to fill two carts with everything from baby bottles to a crib with complete bedding set and a car seat. I blew my clothing budget for at least two months in less than two hours.

The rest of the night (and early morning hours) was spent assembling furniture, sterilizing bottles, prewashing onesies and generally baby-proofing our entire home. So maybe I was going a little overboard, but I was on an adrenaline high and there was nothing that could stop me.

At least that's what I thought, until the sun made its way above the horizon and I realized that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep now and manage to get up in time for school which meant that I wouldn't get a chance to rest until at least four o'clock, but I also had an appointment with the specialist at five so there wasn't really time for a nap in there either.

I was still reeling from the fact that I was now officially a father. Even with all the baby paraphernalia now littering my house, and more specifically my room, it still felt unreal to me.

I sighed loudly and went upstairs to find my father sprawled across the couch snoring. I figured I would wake him in another hour or so. He needed his rest even more than I needed mine.

After showering and doing a half-hearted job of my morning routine, I grabbed an apple and shook Dad awake. He mumbled an inarticulate response which I took as "good morning" and "yes, I'll be up in just a moment" and I headed out the door.

It was early enough that I had time to stop for coffee and all praise to the man that decided our little town needed its own version of Starbucks. I'm pretty sure that without it I would have fallen asleep at the wheel before pulling into the parking lot of McKinley High.

The halls were still pretty well empty when I made my way to the empty choir room to enjoy my coffee in peace before the start of another hellish day. We were preparing for finals that were coming up and if I wanted my brain to retain anything that it was presented with today I needed to wake up bit more.

"Kurt?"

I raised my bloodshot eyes to see Mr. Schuester standing before me. I hadn't even heard him come in. Either he was secretly a ninja or I was way more out of it than I realized.

"Hey, Mr. Schue." God, even my voice sounded like crap. No solos for me today, that was for sure.

If my appearance had him concerned then my voice seemed to shock him. "Are you alright?"

I gazed at him blearily, my eyelids drooping against my will. "Tired." I grunted. Oh god, I was _grunting_ now?

"What's going on, Kurt?" Mr. Schue's tone was worried, with an underlying sense of authority. I would have smirked had I had the energy because really, Mr. Schue was a good teacher, but an intimidating authority figure he was not. At least not in my eyes.

I sighed and figured I might as well tell him, everyone would know soon enough. "I am happy to tell you that I am now the proud, if exhausted, father of a six pound baby boy." I gave him a slightly larger, if just as sleepy, genuine smile. I really was happy, it was just that my enthusiasm for all things that weren't my warm bed was missing at the moment.

"Oh my—Kurt! Congratulations!" His face was lit up like Christmas and I could see tears shining in his eyes. "That's amazing!" I couldn't help my eyes sliding shut for a moment. Mr. Schue noticed and placed a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. "Kurt? Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

I shook my head and he nodded sympathetically. "I probably shouldn't do this, but I know that one day of missing classes isn't going to affect your grades, and today will mainly be reviews, so why don't you go make yourself a pallet on the floor of my office and rest for a while. There's a small throw blanket in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. I know that the floor isn't the most comfortable of places but you look like you're about to fall asleep sitting in that chair."

I looked at him with what I hoped he could tell was gratitude on my face. "Thank you. Please don't tell anyone just yet, no one knows yet, not even Mercedes."

"Of course, Kurt. Just let me grab some things from my desk and you can lock the door when I leave."

I gratefully collapsed onto the carpet, not even caring that it was probably unsanitary. I let my eyes slide shut and didn't think for a while.

I awoke just after the start of last period. I rose slowly, painfully aware that sleeping on a hard floor was not the smartest decision I had ever made. I figured that since I had already missed the rest of my classes for the day, I might as well skip the last and headed to the choir room, half an hour early for glee practice.

I took a seat in the far corner of the room and turned on my phone. Four missed calls and twelve new text messages. All from Mercedes. I scanned through the messages which started out normal then grew annoyed then finally worried. I texted her back a quick reply, assuring her I was alright and would be at practice this afternoon. Not two minutes later I got a _ping_! that signaled a new message.

_**From Cedes:**_

_**OK Wht Boi. I xpect answrs n glee**_

I smiled as I replied, refusing to butcher the English language with text-speak.

_**To Cedes:**_

_**Of course. I have an announcement. **_

_**Now pay attention in class so I can copy your notes later ;)**_

Now I knew she was sure to attack me as soon as she came in the door, but I would wait until everyone was present to share my news.

I spent the rest of the period assembling a photo album on my Facebook page and preparing a post to announce Jude's birth, which I didn't put up until two minutes before the final bell. I knew it would take at least fifteen for the crappy Wi-Fi to process the change to my status and by then I would have told the people who mattered to me face to face.

Apparently, Mercedes had passed the word around that something was up and everyone made it to the room in record time. They all stared at me expectantly as I watched them from my perch next to the piano. I smiled as I pulled a photo I had snapped in the hospital last night onto my phones main screen. It was a close up shot of Jude's face, his blue eyes wide open and his little mouth open in a yawn.

I held the phone out to Mercedes. Her eyes went wide and her grin nearly split her face in half before she passed the phone to Tina.

"I would like you all to meet Jude Burton Hummel. My son." I beamed with pride as my phone made its way around the room. The girls were squealing and the guys were staring in awe. I noticed Puck's face was stony; he passed the phone to Mike almost immediately. I made a mental note to speak with him later.

After my phone made its way back to me, Rachel spoke up. "So when do we get to meet the newest member of the New Directions? I'm sure being your child he's been singing since the womb."

My smile dropped. I didn't know how to tell them about Jude's condition without evoking pity. I didn't want anyone to pity him. I didn't want them to treat him any differently than any other child.

They noticed my change of expression and the room went silent. I stared at the floor, chewing my lip as I chose my words carefully.

"He won't be singing," I said quietly. I couldn't seem to bring my eyes up to face my friends.

"What do you mean, Kurty?" Brit chimed out. I looked at her then. Her face was a mixture of happiness and confusion. Sweet, sweet Brittany. I knew that I could count on her at least to never judge anyone for being different. Her beautiful, if simple, view on the world gave me hope that maybe Jude wouldn't be seen as a freak, at least not by everyone. In short, she gave me the strength to say the words that were caught in my throat.

"There was a problem with his development and his vocal cords never formed. He's mute." There it was, the bald truth. Now for the reaction.

"But, he's healthy, right?" Finn asked. "I mean, my mom, said he was perfectly healthy other than that."

"What?" I looked at him incredulously. When the hell did he even find out about this? And if he knew, how was it that no one else did? Finn wasn't exactly known for keeping secrets well.

He smiled proudly then, his chest puffing a little. "Burt called Mom and she called me and told me all about it, but she said I couldn't say anything 'cause it was your big news to tell." He grinned at me sheepishly. "It's been killing me all day. I was really glad when Mercedes said you'd be here this afternoon. I didn't know how much longer I could keep it a secret."

I was dazed but before I could reply Puck interjected.

"Dude, is that why you've been so fidgety all day? I thought you had a rash or something the way you were squirming in your seat during history." He chuckled at his own comment and Quinn rolled her eyes.

"That's disgusting, Noah." I shook my head in distaste. "But, yes, Finn, he is perfectly healthy otherwise. There are no other deformities in his throat that would impair his breathing or anything like that. He just won't be able to speak."

"Cool, then. So he'll be like a Mini-Kurt."

"Excuse, me?" I tried to understand what Finn was saying, but even after repeating the words in my mind twice I had no clue what I was supposed to get out of that statement.

"Like in Austin Powers. Dr. Evil's little clone dude, Mini-Me. He couldn't talk, either."

"Finn," I drawled, trying to remain calm. I told myself that he wasn't trying to be an ass, that he was just naturally dumb and didn't mean anything by it. "Did you just compare my newborn child to a midget in a Mike Myers film?"

At least I wasn't the only one glaring at Finn right then. Everyone, save Brit, who had heard the words "mini-Kurt" and was now whispering to herself about baby dolphins, was giving Finn their best death-glares. He was shrinking under the heat of their collective gazes as he stuttered out half-formed apologies.

"Anyways," I said loudly to bring everyone's attention back to me. "I have to leave here in a few minutes and get back to the hospital to meet with a specialist about Jude's condition. I just wanted to tell you all first." I smiled softly at the group. At the beginning of the year, I had been a loner. Now I had a group of people who I knew would be there for me no matter what. "You guys are like family to me so I really wanted to tell you in person."

I didn't expect it, but I was suddenly at the center of a very large group hug. It was odd, and I'm pretty sure that Puck's mussing of my hair was anything but an accident, but it was nice. I thanked everyone for their support and left head to the hospital.

I would have just enough time to grab a coffee on the way. I was pretty sure I was going to need it.


	8. Chapter 8

I knew from the moment I met the specialist, Dr. Green, that I didn't like him. He looked me up and down and his face set into a sneer. I ignored this, it didn't matter what I thought of him or what he seemed to think of me, he was an expert on my son's condition and I would treat him with respect because of that.

"Mr. Hummel, I presume?" His voice was arrogant. I nodded and held my hand out for him to shake. He stared at it for a moment before turning on his heel and walking down the hall. I hesitated for a moment, shocked at his rude behavior, before following close behind.

"I assume you've been informed about your son's situation?" He peered at me over his shoulder, never slowing. We were heading towards the nursery wing. I was excited to see Jude again, and more importantly, hold him again.

"Yes, Dr. Sharp said his throat developed without vocal cords or a voice box, but that it wasn't detrimental to his health in anyway."

His eyebrows rose but he remained silent, turning forward without another word as we entered the nursery. He hadn't even properly introduced himself, the jerk.

"I've already examined your son, Mr. Hummel. I merely thought you might want to be with him when we spoke about his options." I was confused. Why the hell we were here then rather than in a consultation room? "I understand that you're sixteen? That you're still in high school?"

I nodded, still confused as to where this conversation was going. "I'll be seventeen next week and I will be a junior this fall." Why were we talking about me?

"I see." He looked at me appraisingly, his slight sneer making another appearance. "I'll be blunt Mr. Hummel. I look at you and I see a teen parent who will not be able to care for a disadvantaged child. My professional opinion is that you give this child to a family with the means to care for him properly and who's…lifestyle choices…would be a healthier environment for him."

I blinked at him, processing what he'd just said. I was floored. Did he really just call me an unfit parent because of my age and sexuality? "Excuse me?" My tone was quiet because of the child laying not ten feet from where I stood, but even a deaf man could have heard the tightly controlled rage underlying my words.

"I personally know of a couple in Indiana where my regular practice is that would love to care for this child. They can provide him with a stable home environment and the medical procedures he'll need to become a more normal member of society. There are implants that can be surgically inserted so that he will be able to speak but the cost is high. This couple will give the child all the love he deserves no matter his, er, parentage."

I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself down. My hands were twitching at my sides with the need to hit this man. I really wanted to beat the sneer off of his face, to see his nose angled off to the side and bleeding, but I have always believed that violence solves nothing, so I didn't. I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep my baser instincts from acting on their own.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to insult my child, his mother, or me? You know nothing about us and you never will." My voice never rose above a whisper but I was sure that all of the anger inside me shone through. "Get the fuck out of here and never come near my son again."

My anger didn't seem to faze him. "Mr. Hummel, do you really think, as a teenaged homosexual you would ever be able to give him any chance at being normal?"

"He _is_ normal you son of a bitch. Just because he can't speak doesn't make him a freak, it just makes him quiet. Better than someone like you who opens his mouth and lets stupidity spill out." I really had to work to keep from yelling and I knew that if I continued our conversation that I would be soon.

Instead, I turned to the nurse in the corner. She had a pen in her hand poised above a chart that she was staring at intently but I knew that she'd heard our whole exchange.

"Nurse?" Her eyes snapped up to me and they were too full of knowledge for her to not have been paying attention. "When will my son be released?"

She looked down at the chart in her hand. "His pediatrician will be in at eight a.m. to check him over once more. If everything looks good, he'll be released then." She smiled at me, bless her.

"Would it be alright if I stayed with him until then?" My voice was strained. Even if she said no I would plant myself in the hallway next to the door until then just to be sure that this man got nowhere near him.

"Of course, Mr. Hummel. If you like, I have an extra chair I can bring in for you. It's almost time for his next feeding, so you can take care of that, too." She motioned me over to where Jude lay in his plastic bassinet, never once looking at the doctor who was still standing by the doorway. "Have you ever fed a newborn baby?"

I smiled at her and shook my head, afraid to speak lest my voice crack with emotion. My anger was fading, replaced with appreciation for this wonderful young woman who didn't seem to think that there was anything wrong with me as a parent. She smiled wider, placing Jude in my arms and rummaging through a cabinet to get a pre-mixed bottle of formula, screwing a nipple to the top and explaining to me how to get him to eat and keep him from choking.

I was too engrossed in my son to notice when the doctor finally left, but the nurse—Tammy, according to her nametag—sighed loudly and muttered a few choice words under her breath that sounded suspiciously like some of what I'd said.

I tore my eyes from Jude's little face and looked at her again. She was smiling down at us with a warm expression and I felt a tear slide down my face. My emotions seemed to be directly tied to my tear ducts as always but I didn't think she would judge me for this. "Thank you," I whispered fervently.

She shook her head. "There is nothing to thank me for. That guy is a capital-a Asshole who shouldn't be allowed to practice medicine on people. Let him spout his narrow-minded opinions to the cows back in Indiana."

I laughed at that, my whole body shaking. My movement disrupted Jude's feeding and he began to pant heavily, his tiny face screwing up in anger.

"Whoops! Sorry, honey," I cooed, reinserting the nipple between his lips. He began to suck again greedily, content once again. I sighed loudly. This was looking to turn into another all-nighter. Joy.

Tammy laughed quietly at our antics. "You're good with him."

I looked up at her, a grin tugging at my mouth. "You think so?"

"Yeah, you don't seem nervous at all, like he was meant to be in your arms."

"Well, he does fit there perfectly. I think he's emptied this one. Should I give him another?" I wasn't sure how much he should be eating right now, the two parenting classes I had managed to take so far focusing mainly on first-aid and diaper changing tips.

"Not unless you want to wear it." She laughed at my disgusted expression. "Now it's time to burp him. If he does spit up some, next time you can try burping him halfway through his bottle and then again when he finishes it." She showed me how to place the cloth across my shoulder and pat his back so that he'd release the built-up gas in his little tummy. I patted his back gently. Nothing happened.

"Harder than that," she chided. "He's not a china doll, he won't break."

I patted him harder, worried about hurting him, and then he let out a burp that would make any drunken fraternity brother proud.

"Oh my God! He sounds like my dad after his nightly beer." She laughed at that. Apparently my cluelessness was amusing, but her laughter was kind, so I didn't begrudge her for it. I guess it probably did look pretty hilarious to an outsider looking in. I was an effeminate teenage boy—and I'd been told on numerous occasions that I could probably still manage to get the '12 and under' price at the movie theater with the right outfit—who was staring in wide-eyed shock at a newborn baby that I was pretty sure could match Puck and Finn in a belching contest. And I was grinning from ear to ear like I had just won the lottery.

Jude's eyes slowly closed, his lips moving vainly in search of something to suckle as he fell asleep. I carefully placed him back in his bassinet, unable to resist kissing his incredibly soft hair.

The night passed quickly. I managed to doze off around eight after having spent an hour and a half practicing diaper changes and swaddling on a doll that Tammy produced. She also gave me a crash course on how to care for a newborn which overwhelmed me but I still appreciated her help.

I was sleeping uneasily slouched in my chair with one hand on Jude's back when I felt myself being shaken. I came back to awareness slowly, blinking stupidly around the softly lit room.

"Kurt, wake up. It's time for Jude's feeding and my shift is just about done."

"Kay," I mumbled, standing to stretch. Sleeping in a chair was not good for my back and I realized with a small groan that I had skipped my nightly moisturizing for the second night in a row.

As I changed Jude's diaper and rewrapped him in his blanket, another nurse strolled in the room. She looked at me once, puzzled and turned to Tammy.

I blanched, worried that this woman wouldn't be as understanding and would make me leave.

My worries were misplaced, though, and after whispering with Tammy for a few moments, she turned to me and smiled. She was older, probably mid-forties, but her smile made her look very young.

"When he's finished with his bottle, you go on and go back to sleep, sweetie," she told me with all the authority of a practiced mother. "Do you have school in the morning?"

"Yes, but, I, uh, planned on staying here until he was released." I blushed, embarrassed by how much this woman made me feel like I was just a kid. She looked at me, her face stern. My heart sped as she stared. I didn't know why, but I was oddly reminded of how my grandmother used to stare me down when she knew I'd done something wrong. She would just stare at me silently until my own guilt overwhelmed me and I'd break down and tell her everything.

"Alright, but you're going to get some more sleep right now. And you will be going back to school the following day, right?" She turned back to the desk in the corner, rifling through a stack of papers.

I nodded eagerly, just glad that she no longer seemed to be trying to pierce my soul with her eyes. She was a sweet lady, but she had that scary-mom look down pat.

I ended up sleeping through until almost six the next morning. I probably would have slept longer, despite my uncomfortable position if the motherly nurse who replaced Tammy hadn't woke me to say she was about to leave. I slowly processed what she'd said, and gasped in surprise that I'd slept nearly eight hours straight. She seemed to be able to read my mind because before I could say a word, she spoke, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Now, you needed the sleep and I wanted to visit with this handsome little man before he leaves me today."

I realized then that Jude was the only baby in the whole nursery. Slow night for the population of Lima.

"I have to leave in ten minutes, but you go on and run down to the cafeteria and grab a quick bit of breakfast."

The rest of the morning went smoothly. At the shift change I was introduced to another nurse, Sandy, and she was informed about the reasons about my presence. She just nodded, half-awake, and moved to the desk to begin her paperwork.

I finished burping Jude and laid him back in his bed before offering to fetch a cup of coffee for her. She looked just as tired as I felt. She looked up at me, surprised, but accepted gratefully.

When I returned with coffee in hand, she wasn't alone. I was surprised to see my father talking cheerily with her, rocking Jude in his arms.

"Hey, kiddo." He smiled at my confused expression. "You didn't come home last night. Did ya think I wouldn't notice?"

"Oh, Dad! I'm sorry! I just got so caught up in every—"

"S'okay, Kurt. I called up here last night and spoke with Tammy. She told me you were asleep and filled me in on what went down. Just, try and remember to call me next time, alright? You may be a father now but you're still my kid and I worry." His reprimand was spoiled by the goofy grin on his face.

I crossed the room wordlessly and wrapped him in a hug, being careful not to jostle Jude who was looking around the room alertly.

"You go on home, kid. Get changed and do whatever it is that you do to your hair for an hour every morning and get your butt to school. I'm gonna spend the day with my grandson."

I knew after everything we'd been through in the last year that Dad would always be there for me but it still blindsided me sometimes just what a great man he truly was.

"Love you, Dad."

"Love you, too. Now get your scrawny butt to school."


	9. Chapter 9

I couldn't believe how quickly the summer passed. It was August already and school would be starting again soon. I knew I only had a couple of weeks to get Jude enrolled in a daycare but I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving him with someone I didn't know, no matter their credentials. How do people do this? How do they let complete strangers take care of their children and not have a panic attack?

I shook my head as tightened the last lugnut on the tire I had just mounted. Internal freak-out or not, I was going to have to do it and soon. I had just grown so used to having him with me all the time. Even at night, rather than putting him in the crib across the room from my bed I would just tuck him into my side with one of those wedge pillows that were meant to keep him from suffocating. His cries were really just breathy pants and I was afraid that they wouldn't be enough to wake me in the middle of the night. Besides, Jude seemed to love the contact so the arrangement just made both of us sleep easier.

I heard a soft rattle and turned to the back corner of the shop that had been turned into Jude's very own play area. He was currently lounging in his bouncer seat batting lazily at one of the soft toys suspended above him. I double checked my finished work and wiped my hands on a clean towel before going to him.

"Hey, Jude!" I called as I neared him. His eyes immediately sought me and a toothless grin spread across his sweet face. He flailed his chubby little arms and my heart soared. I began telling him all about what I had been doing to the Jeep behind me, being sure to talk clearly and slowly, not slipping into the baby talk that so many parents seemed want to do. And even though I was still learning, I did my best to form hand signs as I spoke.

After the fiasco with the specialist, I dove into research. I wanted to figure as much out on my own as I could so as not to have to risk another altercation like the one with Dr. Green. I learned that there were medical options, surgeries and implants, but that the procedures weren't always one hundred percent successful, sometimes causing more damage than was already present.

That bastard of a doctor's words kept coming back to me as I scrolled through information.

_Do you think_ y_ou would ever be able to give him any chance at being normal? _

Those words bothered me because as far as I was concerned my son was normal. All my friends and family treated as they would any other child. Well, maybe not exactly like any other child, because I imagine most children didn't have eleven 'aunts' and 'uncles' who made it their goal to spoil him completely rotten and never let him spend any time _not_ in someone's arms.

Surprisingly, it was Puck who claimed Jude most often, although Finn was not far behind, stating that he was the closest thing to a real uncle because his mom was dating my dad so now we were sort of brothers.

"Right, Kurt?" He had looked at me with those puppy eyes and I couldn't tell him that no, we weren't brothers and at the most we might be stepbrothers one day but probably not anytime soon. All I could do was nod and mumble, "Sure, Finn."

Thankfully, my misguided crush on him had waned to nearly nothing due to the recent increase in the amount of time we spent together. I still thought he was cute but our common interests were lacking and really, my love for Jude was kind of taking up most of my emotional capacity.

I decided after two days of reading as much as I could on the subject of mute children that to try and 'fix' my son was the same as saying there was something wrong with him. There was absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was just different. Just like I was different and there was nothing wrong with me.

It was actually Puck's idea to learn sign language.

"Dude, I know he won't be able to do it right now, but if he's used to seeing it all the time for as long as he can remember he'll learn just the way other kids learn to talk." His logic was spot on and the way he didn't change his voice inflection when he said 'other kids', coupled with the fact that he didn't say 'normal kids', made me smile.

It turned out that Puck had a cousin who was deaf and he had spent a lot of time with her when he was younger so he already knew some sign and still had all his old books. He gave me a beginner's guide and even brushed up on it himself so that he could have conversations with Jude, too. I picked it up fairly quickly and moved on to an intermediate manual. I was pleasantly surprised when my dad, Carole, and even Finn decided they wanted to learn. Carole flew through the books, her hands flashing too quickly for my eyes to keep up, but Dad and Finn seemed to have a little trouble, Dad with his hands being used to working on cars, and Finn being uncoordinated but determined.

"Hey, Hummel! You back here?"

The sound of one Noah Puckerman broke me from my conversation about worn tire treads and visible belts with my son. It wasn't exactly the most interesting subject matter but everything I had read about interacting with babies said that it didn't matter so much what you spoke about just that you spoke often so that the child could become more familiar with language.

"Yes, Noah." I sighed, realizing that once again my son was about to be taken away. I still had two more cars to finish so it was good that Jude would have some interaction while I was busy, but I knew that even when I was done I wouldn't be getting my son back right away. On the plus side, this meant that I could actually take my time in the shower and maybe even use that hair mask that Mercedes had gotten for me.

He nodded at me as he rounded the corner and saw Jude. "What's up, LittleDude? You wanna come with Uncle Puck and Uncle Artie?" Jude gave a drool-filled grin and reached for Puck, who wasted no time asking things like, say, _parental permission_, before undoing the bouncer seat straps and effectively stealing my child.

"Will you be leaving a ransom note, Noah? Seeing as how you're kidnapping my baby, a list of demands that must be met before he's returned is customary." I gave him my best bitchy smirk, but I knew he would see right through it. He glared back, as was customary for our exchange. It usually went down like this. For the past three weeks, Noah had been picking Jude up and taking him out at least twice a week. He was usually accompanied by Artie, or sometimes even Santana, and they would walk down to the park that wasn't too far from the shop. They were never gone for less than two hours. I couldn't deny that I appreciated the alone time, even if it had seemed strange to me at first.

"Just make sure he doesn't get too hot. And don't forget to put that baby sunscreen on his face. And—"

"Chill, Daddy-Hummel. I know what I'm doing. Me and Little-Dude got this. Just finish up your work and go take a bubble bath or something. I know you gotta be freaking out right now 'cause there's grease in your hair." Puck was gathering up Jude's diaper bag as he spoke, stirring through the contents to make sure he had everything he needed. Satisfied, he slung the bag over his shoulder and hitched Jude onto his hip. "Say bye-bye to Daddy, Jude."

I watched them walk out of the shop before turning back to my work. Just two more cars and then I could get cleaned up. Puck's suggestion of a bubble bath was sounding mighty tempting.

It was almost six o'clock before Puck returned with my child. Carole and Finn were already over for the evening. I imagined they would probably be spending the night. Again. It was happening more and more often lately. I was happy for my dad and Carole. It wasn't fair for them both to have lost the person who was supposed to have been their forever. I couldn't imagine having to raise a child completely on my own while dealing with the pain of that loss. I may have been raising Jude without his mother but I was far from alone in this and I had known from the beginning that Simone and I would never be together.

"Finn, must you leave your shoes in the middle of the floor?" I nudged one of the grungy sneakers with the toe of my boot. There was no way I was picking that up with my fingers.

Finn grinned sheepishly at me. "Sorry, Dude—Kurt, I mean." I just rolled my eyes and plopped down in the armchair opposite him. "I'm kinda stuck on this level of Angry Birds. You want to try it?"

I grumbled something about him only wanting me for my awesome pig-smashing skills before taking the phone. It took me only two tries before all the little green pigs were crushed under wooden beams and other debris. Finn hooted triumphantly and raised his hand for a high-five. Not wanting to bring him down off his childish high I smacked his outstretched palm lightly. He was such a boy.

"Hudmels! We're home!" Puck's voice rang out followed by the slamming of the door. I was up from my chair in an instant, eager to hold my son again. Puck passed him to me, shrugging out of his light jacket and plopping down next Finn on the couch. Carole made her way into the living room smiling at the four of us.

"Will you be staying for dinner, Noah? We're having meatloaf." Her hands unconsciously moved into sign as she spoke.

"Sounds great, Mrs. H."

She nodded, swooping in to kiss Jude's cheek, and headed back to the kitchen where my dad was setting the table.

Puck turned his attention to me. Or maybe to Jude. For a guy that claimed to be the biggest badass in Lima he was awful attached to a three-month-old baby.

"So Hummel, you found a sitter yet?"

I frowned at him. I knew that was something I needed to get figured out, but I was putting it off. "No, Noah. I haven't."

"Well," he said off-handedly. "I found you one."

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "What?"

"My neighbor, Mrs. Bellevue, she has a daughter starting kindergarten and she said she'd love to watch him." He said this all like it was no big deal.

My incredulity grew. "Why are you discussing my child with strangers?"

"Dude, she's not a stranger, she's been my neighbor since I was, like, ten years old. She's awesome and makes the best peanut butter cookies ever."

"Because her culinary skills are my greatest concern when contemplating whether or not to leave my child in her care," I snapped.

Finn just looked at me, perplexed. His vocabulary wasn't the best and I was pretty sure he'd gotten lost somewhere in my statement. Puck just stared back coolly.

"She's a really good mom. Her husband left her right after she had Darla so she spends a lot of time over at our place with my mom. She came over last week when me and Santana—"

"Santana and I," I interjected. He just huffed 'whatever' under his breath and continued.

"When _Santana_ _and I_ had him at the house 'cause the park was too crowded. She started gushing over what a cutie he was and asking questions. After like an hour she asked if you needed a babysitter when school started and I said I would ask you." He shrugged and started pulling faces at Jude who was steadily gnawing on a finger.

I reeled at this information. "Thank you, Noah. But I still want to meet this woman before I leave her alone with Jude."

"Yeah, man, of course. You'd be crazy to just leave him with someone you've never even met." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a few buttons. I felt the vibration in my pocket that signaled an incoming text. "Really, Puck?"

"Easier than writing it." Puck's grin spread across his face and he was still looking at me when he snatched the phone out of Finn's grasp. "My turn!"

I shook my head indulgently as the two wrestled for Finn's phone. I took Jude down to my room to change him and find a bib. We were experimenting with rice cereal now and for something that looked so bland it could make some hellish clothing stains.

I sang an old Heart song while I scoured through the drawer that used to house my collection of socks and now held an assortment of onesies, booties, sleepers and bibs. I knew that I would have to go buy Jude some heavier clothes soon and a winter jacket and some cute snow boots. It was only August now, but the cold weather would be here before long and pretty soon shopping would become a luxury in my limited time between work, school, and spending time with my family.

I made a mental note to call Mrs. Bellevue tomorrow during my break and set up a time to meet with her. It was amazing to think that at this time last year I was all alone with just my father for company. I was madly in love with the boy who was closer to becoming my brother each day and getting picked on by the boy with the awful hairstyle who was now my son's third favorite person. I was really amazing to think that all this had happened because I'd gotten drunk at a party. Something that I had thought was the biggest mistake turned out to have been the best thing that ever happened to me. Life is weird.


	10. Chapter 10

"And without further ado, I present to you the William McKinley High School graduating class of 2012!"

A flurry of red caps flew into the air accompanied by much shouting and laughter. I did my best to catch mine and hurry out of the crowd. There was way too much hugging and invading of personal space going on for my taste. I spotted my dad and Carole across the gymnasium and made a beeline for them. Dad was grinning proudly and Carole looked like she was trying not to cry as she held a squirming toddler in her arms.

I watched as Jude's pudgy fingers made the sign for 'father' and pointed at me. It made my heart swell. His little arms reached for me as I neared and I gathered him into a tight hug, burying my face in his dark curls. I felt a large arm wrap around my shoulder and looked up to see Finn looking down at us with his trademark half-smile.

"We did it, Dude," he said simply. Before I could chastise him about calling me 'dude' I was suddenly blinded. When my vision cleared I saw Carole standing before us, tears falling freely, camera in hand.

"My boys are all grown up," she sobbed. Dad merely shook his head indulgently and wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm proud of you boys. I mean that." Dad's voice was gruff, but I'd known him long enough to hear the emotion underneath. He might not be the mess that Carole was right then but he was feeling just as much.

"Thanks, Burt. That really means a lot." Finn's quiet words were underscored by the hesitant hug he gave to my dad, who was now his stepfather. The wedding happened last year. Finn and I arranged everything with the help of the glee club. It had been absolutely beautiful.

"So what are you guys doing tonight? I figure there's gonna be some kind of party?" Dad looked at us expectantly. Finn nodded and started rattling on about how everyone was going bowling and how he had to make sure he had Rachel home by midnight or her dads would freak. I kept quiet. The only plans I had for the night were to get out of this wretched red gown and take a long hot bath once I had Jude down for the evening.

"Kurt? What about you?" Dad's question caught me off guard.

"What about me?" I returned, confused by the question. When did I ever go out at night? Even when the glee club had gone to nationals in New York my junior year I had paid for my own room and airfare so that I could bring Jude along with me. Mr. Schue had taken care of him during the competition but otherwise he had been with me the entire time.

"This is a once in a lifetime event, son. You need to go out and celebrate." He looked at me pointedly. "You deserve this. Enjoy it."

"What about Jude?" I asked, my voice growing higher in my panic. "What if he needs me?"

"I think I can handle my grandson for one night, Kurt? Between me and Carole we got this covered."

"But, Dad," I whined. "What if something happens and I'm not there?"

"Kurt. It will be fine. He will be fine. We will all be fine." He had Jude out of my arms before I could say anything else. "Just stay away from the alcohol. That's all I ask of you. I don't need to be getting a call from the hospital and having another heart attack, okay?"

I shuddered at his casual reference to his heart condition but rolled my eyes. "Dad, the last time I got drunk I impregnated a woman. I have learned that alcohol is not my friend, trust me."

"Just keep that in mind." He turned to Finn. "You too, Buddy. Remember, drinking leads to babies and car wrecks. I'm not ready to add another member to the family nor am I ready to lose one. Be careful."

"Will do, Burt! C'mon, Kurt!"

I squeaked in surprise as I was suddenly thrown over a large shoulder. I had a face full of red polyester and my feet were kicking wildly.

"Put me down, Sasquatch!" I squeaked indignantly.

"Nope, I already got permission from Burt to kidnap you for the night. You are having fun tonight." He laughed and hitched me up higher, ignoring my attempts at escape.

"Fine! You can put me down, I do have legs."

"Nah, it's more fun this way!"

I kept my stream of complaints steady as we moved through the gym and into the parking lot but I'd stopped my struggles, resigned to my fate. When he finally put me down next to my Navigator, I swayed dizzily.

"Whoa, head rush."

"Yeah, it's fun, huh?" Finn laughed merrily at my dazed expression before climbing into the driver's seat of my car. My car.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing, Hudson?"

"You said if I got my Government grade up to a B you would let me drive your car for a week." He waved a piece of paper in front of my nose. His unofficial transcript printout. Damn. I did promise that.

"Whatever, lets just get this night over with so I can go home."

"Oh, no! You are going to bowl with us and have fun. Everybody in the New Direction's is gonna be there, even the underclassmen."

"Finn, I'm not even in the New Directions, remember? I had to drop out this semester to get that final credit so I could graduate with the rest of the class and not have to take summer school." I hadn't been happy about that but I'd had no choice really. Mr. Schuester had really pulled through on the whole half-day schedule but Figgins had insisted that I take one more science credit and the only option I had was at the same time as glee. Mr. Schue was upset but he understood why I had to quit, and with Sam moving back and Puck and Lauren reigniting their romance and her rejoining the group, there were still enough members to compete.

"Dude, it doesn't matter that you weren't with us in the last few months, you'll always be a part of the New Directions. Not to mention, you're everyone's friend and my brother so you're doing this. Deal with it." He grinned evilly. "Aaaand you have to wear the shoes!"

"I quote the one and only Miss Jones when I say this: Hell to the NO!" Kurt Hummel did not wear anyone's used shoes. There was no telling what diseases were crawling all over those disgusting things. "I will be just fine in my Steve Madden boots thank you."

"Whatever, Dude, but when you fall on your butt don't blame me."

"Why Finn Hudson, since when are you so concerned with the state of my ass?" I batted my eyes coquettishly. He was my brother now and held absolutely no attraction over me but I just couldn't help but try to freak him out every now and again. It was one of those brother things.

He was unfazed by my over-the-top flirting. "Dude, it's not your ass that concerns me, it's your mouth. If you get a paper cut you bitch for days. I can't imagine if you cracked your tailbone. You'd annoy to death before you got better."

I was offended. "Hey, paper cuts really hurt!" I retorted. He just mumbled something under his breath and kept his eyes on the road.

"Oh, we're here!" Finn's excitement was evident in his voice. I couldn't quite match his enthusiasm, but I was going to try and not be a complete spoilsport tonight.

"Yay. Bowling." I drawled. He didn't even pay attention to me as he started towards the building. "Hey, wait up Stilt-Legs!"

It turned out Finn was right, all the members of the New Directions showed up and we did have a pretty good time. Puck had used his fake ID to get pitchers of beer which I stayed well clear of. I didn't even understand how the staff let us all get away with the alcohol, because, seriously, every ten minutes one person or the other would raise a plastic glass and toast the class of 2012. We made quite the spectacle.

After we'd been there for a few hours, the place was almost empty. The only other patrons were a middle-aged couple two lanes to our left and a group of high school kids five lanes to our right. They were all wearing the same type of outfit, gray slacks with white shirts and some of them had navy blazers. I imagined they went to one of the private schools in the area.

I was waiting for my turn—Mike, Tina, Santana, Quinn, and Lauren were all ahead of me—and decided that I might as well spend my time scoping out the prep school boys, some of whom were pretty cute. We were far enough from their group that no one was likely to notice my scrutiny. Of course, that didn't mean that none of my friends would notice my preoccupation.

"Checking you out some man candy, Hummel?" Santana's smooth voice whispered in my ear. I jumped, not realizing that she was sitting right next to me. Hell, she was practically in my lap. I must have really been zoned in on those boys.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Satan. I am merely admiring the lovely decor or this establishment." I managed to keep my voice even but I could feel the heat creeping up my face. Santana grinned slyly.

"Yeah, I can see what you were _admiring_ just fine. They're not even my type but I gots to say, I love me a man in uniform."

"It does have a certain appeal, hmm?" I admitted, letting my eyes wander back over to the boys. A few of them were roughhousing, causing shirts and pants to pull just tight enough to hint at defined muscle underneath. Definitely appealing.

"So what are you sitting here for? Go get you some of that fine young school boy ass." She playfully shoved me.

"Wow, you just made that sound so wrong, predator-like even," I huffed. Santana just cackled. "And besides, they're all probably straight and I do not want to spend the rest of my evening in a dumpster, thank you very much."

"Whatever, Ladyface, I'm up. I'll leave you to your fantasies." I watched her grab a blood red ball from the return and stride to the lane, hips swaying seductively. I turned back to the boys across the room. A few of them were awfully good looking. There was a thin boy with cornsilk blonde hair and a cute smile. And another with olive skin and way too much hair gel, but I liked the way he laughed. And that Asian boy wasn't too hard on the eyes either...

"Hummel, you're up." I sighed inwardly, grabbing one of the child-sized balls from the return. It wasn't that I couldn't heft the full sized ones, but I wasn't really that good and my first attempt had sent the ball flying behind me, narrowly missing a glass trophy case. It was just safer this way for all involved.

I somehow managed to pull a spare—my first of the evening—and was thrown into the middle of a drunken group hug. I squawked about my hair getting ruined, but nobody paid attention, for which I was really glad. I missed this, just being a kid. But I knew that once I was home again with Jude the feeling of nostalgia would fade, overtaken by my joy in him. I missed being a kid sometimes, but I loved my kid more than anything.


	11. Chapter 11

Never in my life did I ever think I would be grateful to be single, but that summer after graduation I _so_ was. Not that I was out having the time of my life flirting it up with tons of cute guys. Far from it, actually, but I had never realized just how much drama being in a relationship entailed. I had never been in a romantic relationship and it really made me wonder: If being in love was such a pain in the ass, then why do it? Of course, maybe not everybody's relationships were quite as complicated as my friends'. There was a lot of intergroup swapping among the New Directions, so I guess that could account for some of the tension.

Rachel and Finn fell apart soon after the summer began. I had been expecting it really, but it still shocked me when Finn came stomping into the house at two in the morning and began trashing his room. I had just gotten Jude back to sleep after another nightmare and I didn't want whatever the hell was possessing Finn to wake him up.

"Finn! What the hell are you doing? Do you even know what—"

My half-whispered rant stopped when I got a good look at Finn's face. There was anger there and that accounted for the thrown books, video game controller and what I was pretty sure was a jumbo can of caramel corn from Christmas. Ew. But there were also tears streaming down his face and when he caught sight of me the anger left and all that remained was hurt and sorrow. He stood stock still for a moment before leaping clumsily over the mess he had made and crushing me into a hug. I was shocked but wrapped my arms around him in an automatic reaction. I managed to steer him over to the bed so we could sit but he refused to let me go. I rubbed my hands along his back soothingly and murmured quietly, nonsense sounds like the ones I had just recently used to calm my son back into slumber.

To my surprise, it seemed to work on Finn about the same. He finally released his death grip on me and lay back on the bed, tears still flowing. He met my eyes and for a moment I had the desire to go out right then and do bodily harm to Rachel Berry. Finn hadn't even told me that this was about her but I knew, I just _knew_. Then he closed his eyes and I began to sing softly to him, a Jack Johnson song from the movie Curious George that he had watched with Jude and me the day before. I carded my fingers through his hair as I sang and after I had gone through the tune twice he was asleep.

I glanced around the room, surveying the damage. Oh, yes, Finn was going to regret this when he had to clean up in a few hours, and he was probably going to regret smashing his XBOX even more than the mess. I sighed, shaking my ahead. Standing there wasn't going to make the scene before me magically return to normal and even with the nightmares Jude would still be awake in approximately four hours, so I headed back to my room and did my best to push my worries for Finn out of my head so I could sleep.

Finn slept past noon the next day, and when he finally did leave his room, he wouldn't talk to anyone. He kept his face blank and just ignored everyone's questions. The only time he let any emotion appear was when Jude crawled into his lap and began signing to him, telling him about the drawing he had laid between Finn and I on the couch.

I caught the signs for 'dog' and 'tree' and 'blue' before Finn scooped him into his arms in a soft hug.

"It's awesome, buddy. I love it." Finn's words were shaky and I could see tears shining in his eyes that he was refusing to let fall. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I knew now was not the time.

"Okay, Jude, let's let Uncle Finn get up because I'm pretty sure he has some things to do. How about we go in kitchen and have a cookie and some milk?" Jude's eyes lit up at that and he grinned excitedly.

'Chocolate?' he signed to me. I huffed out a breath like he'd requested his weight in diamonds before smiling in return.

"I suppose I could make chocolate milk." No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I was being tugged from my seat by a surprisingly strong toddler. "Whoa, buddy, careful! I bet Grandma would love to have your masterpiece hanging on the refrigerator, so why don't you go find the perfect spot for it and I will follow you in sec." I watched him speed to the kitchen, tripping once over his own feet. There may not have been any blood relation but somehow he seemed to have inherited Uncle Finn's grace. Or lack there of.

I turned back to Finn, who had let a single tear escape and was doing his best to scrub the rest from his eyes before they fell. I studied my nails, giving him time to compose himself. "After I put him down for the night I'll help you fix your room."

"You don't have to do that, bro," Finn mumbled, his eyes downcast. I knew he was thinking about the night before, probably embarrassed about his unmanly display of emotion.

"I know, but I could use the exercise. Jude's appetite has slowed down and I keep finding myself picking at his leftovers and believe me when I tell you that the whole 'calories don't count if they come off of someone else's plate' is a blatant lie."

Finn snorted at that. "Dude, you only let him eat, like, the healthiest foods ever."

I rubbed my hand across the waistband of my jeans. They were getting a bit snug but then again, everyone had always told me I was too skinny.

"Ah, but it's not so much what you eat, Finn, its portion control. Not everyone has the metabolism to eat a large pizza by themselves and chase it with an entire box of Oreos and a two-liter of Coke with no ill affect." I shuddered at the memory. How one person could ingest that much junk food and not throw up amazed and disturbed me. But my words had the desired effect. Finn was laughing.

A sharp rap on the wall brought my attention back to my son who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest in the doorway. He had one tiny eyebrow raised and I had to stop myself from laughing. Finn didn't feel the need to hold back his mirth as he chortled, "Oh my God! I told you he was a mini-Kurt!"

I just shook my head, my smile returning once more. "C'mon sweetie, I'll make you your chocolate milk and then maybe we'll walk down to the park."

"So, she basically said that marrying me would ruin her life," Finn huffed settling onto the edge of his bed.

It had taken us a little over an hour to get his room cleaned and the XBOX was indeed beyond repair. I finished tying up the garbage bad that was three quarters full and plopped next to him. It had been a long day and I was beyond tired. I knew I should be getting ready for bed, but I wanted to make sure Finn was really okay. Well, as okay as one could be after the woman he was supposed to marry had just ripped his heart out and handed it to him.

I had been fighting the urge to drive over to her house all day, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. Rachel and I had started to get close the previous summer and for the first half of senior year. That had all ended when she'd gotten her acceptance letter from NYADA and started talking about how tragic it was that I would be staying in Ohio.

"I mean, I just never pictured Kurt Hummel living in Lima forever." She had her head in her locker so her voice was slightly muffled but I knew I had heard her correctly.

"Excuse me? I'm not going to be in Lima forever. I'm staying here now because it works for me but I will eventually move on when I finish college."

"Oh, do you really think you'll finish? I mean, most teen parents never finish high school, let alone college. I think it's amazing that you've come so far with the amount of obstacles you've had to overcome."

Her words had me riled, but I did my best to ignore the anger filing my chest. "Obstacles?" I asked dumbly, a part of me hoping she didn't mean what I though she meant. Her face was still inside her locker, so she couldn't see my expression.

"Well yes, between the harassment from the bullies and the burden of raising a special needs child so young, not to mention your father's heart condition, I'm surprised you've been able to keep up in school."

My blood was boiling. I was usually against all forms of violence but when she started talking about my son I had to resist the urge to slam the locker door on her.

"I think I'd better be going, Rachel," I said stiffly. I left without waiting for a reply, afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep my temper if we continued our conversation.

I did my best to avoid being with Rachel one on one after that. When she would try to engage me in a conversation I would politely excuse myself and eventually she stopped trying. She was no longer my friend, just my brother's girlfriend, and that was fine by me.

Now she wasn't even that and even my distaste for confrontation wouldn't keep me from giving her a piece of my mind the next time I saw her.

I sighed, bumping Finn's shoulder lightly. "Hey, as hard as it may be to hear, Finn, I think you're going to be better off." I ignored the murderous look on Finn's face and continued. "We both know that the thing Rachel cares about more than anything is becoming a star. I'm not saying she never loved you, but I am saying that she loves herself more. You deserve better than that, Finn. You deserve someone who puts you first, cares about your dreams as well as their own, and most of all loves you more than anything just the way you are." I watched his expression shift from anger to sadness as my words sank in. He nodded slowly, remaining silent. "You'll find her one day and when you do it'll be great and you'll wonder what you ever saw in Rachel Berry. I promise, Finn."

A comfortable silence stretched between us for a while before I decided it was time for me to go. As I started to get up, Finn's hand on my arm stopped me.

"Finn?"

"Kurt, just, thanks bro," he said softly. I smiled at him and placed a kiss atop his head. I didn't worry that the gesture would be misconstrued. After living together so long, Finn knew how affectionate I was with my family, just like I knew that no matter how bad his words might come out sometimes, he had a good heart and almost always meant well.

I was almost out the door when he spoke again. His words were quiet and I didn't quite hear him.

"What was that?"

There was still sadness in his face but he was smiling just a little. "You deserve all that, too, Kurt. And you'll get it someday. Maybe not in Lima, but there's a guy out there somewhere waiting for you even if he doesn't know it yet."

"Thank you, Finn." My eyes filled with tears. Yes, sometimes what Finn was trying to say came out all wrong, but sometimes it came out perfectly.

"Love you, bro."

"Love you, too."


	12. Chapter 12

Finn moved out just two weeks before the start of the fall semester. He and Puck would be attending Edison Community College in Piqua, an hour long drive from Lima. Puck's aunt had a rental home there that she would be letting them live in free of charge "as long as there is no property damage or illegal activities, Noah Andrew Puckerman!" and they had both received a good financial aid package so they were all set. I have to say I was touched when they asked me if I wanted to move with them, but I politely declined. I knew that I would be welcome there as would Jude, but college parties and half-naked girls were something Jude would experience in sixteen years or so, he didn't need to experience them at the tender age of two.

Jude didn't understand why I was crying as I watched Puck's beat up Ford driving away with Finn and his things. His questioning eyes bore into mine and I did my best to smile.

"I'm just sad to see Uncle Finn go, but he'll be back to visit us soon." I dashed the tears from my eyes so that I could interpret Jude's signs. His vocabulary was slightly above average for a child his age but his sentence structure was still choppy. His tiny hands still sometimes fumbled on new words that he'd seen me or Carole use but had yet to use himself, but I understood what he was trying to say.

'Uncle Finn and Uncle Puck go to _school_?'

"That's right, sweetie. They are going to college and I am very proud of both of them, but I am still a little sad that I won't get to see them as often."

Jude's little face was clouded with worry as he asked, 'You go to school, Daddy?'

"Yes," I replied. I was about to say more when he suddenly burst into tears. My first instinct was to pull him into my arms but before I could he turned and ran from me into the house. I followed slowly bewildered by his sudden outburst. He was normally an extremely happy boy.

I made my way into the living room to find Jude curled up in the arms of his grandpa, his panting sobs muffled slightly by the flannel shirt his face was currently buried in. Dad looked just as confused as I was about why his grandson was weeping.

"Jude, honey? What's wrong?" I ran my fingers through his dark curls, but Jude flinched away from my touch. I pulled my hand back, hurt. What had I done to alienate my child?

"Kurt," Dad said quietly. "How about you fix us all some milk and toast?" He looked at me pointedly, tilting his head towards the kitchen. I knew he was just trying to get me out of there before I broke down too. One crying kid at a time.

I nodded and went into the kitchen without another word. My vision was blurred from the tears that I refused to let fall and it was only my familiarity with the room that allowed me to make the snacks without breaking anything.

I could hear Dad talking softly to Jude in the living room. I'd always hated it when people would eavesdrop, it was one of my biggest pet-peeves, but my concern for my son overrode my own self-annoyance.

"Hey, buddy, do you wanna tell your old Grandpa what's got you so upset?"

I couldn't see them and I was afraid to poke my head out the doorway in case Jude was looking my way, so I didn't know if he was answering my father or not. I shook my head, realizing that listening in like this was only going to get me half of the conversation and so moved back to the kitchen table. Dad would know how to handle his grandson and make him feel better. He was kind of great like that.

"Kurt, somebody wants to talk with you." Dad's voice pulled me from my own thoughts and I turned to see him standing in the doorway much like I had been earlier. Jude's tear streaked face peeked from behind Dad's jean clad leg. He wouldn't meet my eyes and it just about broke my heart.

"Jude, did you want to talk to me, honey? Can you tell me what's wrong?" Luckily my voice didn't betray me and show the pain I was feeling. I waited patiently for him to speak to me.

He stared at the ground as he formed signs.

'You go to school.' It wasn't a question. I waited a moment, then I realized he wasn't going to say anything else until I responded.

"Yes, sweetie, I'm going to go to school. We talked about that. I showed you my books and everything." I looked to Dad to try and understand what the problem was. He simply gestured to Jude, not giving me any clue to what was going on.

'Uncle Finn, Uncle Puck, Daddy all go to school. All leave me.' His hands dropped and he started sniffling again. This time when I reached for him he didn't flinch away from me. I took that as a good sign and threw my arms around him, crushing him to my chest.

"No, no sweetie. I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, Jude." I held him away from me so he would meet my eyes. His were still filled with tears, the normally bright blue dark with his sadness. I gently brushed away the moisture that clung to his thick lashes. "I will never leave you. I promise that. It's you and me against the world, Jude. Always."

He looked at me with so much trust and love that I couldn't keep my own tears back anymore. We were both crying and hugging each other, worries gone for the moment.

College was a whole new experience for me, so different from high school that it was like a foreign country. Gone were the mindless bullies, the whispers, the taunting, the physical violence. Nobody here cared that I was gay. In fact, other than a few people that I had been paired with on class projects, nobody paid attention to me. It was nice.

I knew everyone had always thought of me as an attention-whore but that wasn't quite right. I didn't dress the way I did in high school just to get attention, it was a way for me to express how I felt. When I was being called all those names and told I was nothing, that I was ugly, that I was worthless, it just made me want to affirm that I was alive and beautiful and better than those bullies. I used fashion to make myself feel worthy, but once my son was born I didn't feel the need to prove myself to anyone any longer, so my style became toned down. I still loved my high fashion clothes but I no longer _needed_ them. Don't get me wrong, I still abhorred the flannel and baggy denim that seemed to make up Finn's entire wardrobe, but I found myself leaning more towards skinny jeans and plain button-downs rather than my suits and bowties.

That could be another factor in my ability to blend in with the crowd at OSU. My lack of time for extracurricular activities also kept me from getting too involved with the other students. I left them alone and they left me alone. It may not have been the standard college experience, but I was getting my education and that was what mattered.

I surprised a lot of my friends when I decided to major in early childhood education. I had always talked about my dreams of being a star and even if it wasn't New York, OSU did have a musical theater program and they all expected me to go that route.

"_What about Broadway, Boo?" Mercedes asked me after I revealed my new career path. I just shook my head, smiling indulgently at her across the small table in the café._

"_It's not practical for a single father, Mercy. I want my son to grow up knowing his father loves him, not being raised by some nanny."_

"_But it's your dream, Kurt. Do you really want to give that up?"_

"_Dreams change."_

The Friday before Thanksgiving break found me outside the main dining hall with a group of students listening to a speech given by a girl with flame red hair. She was holding hands with a dark skinned girl with a massive afro talking about fighting for her right to take her girlfriend to her high school prom. This was the first actual PFLAG meeting I'd ever been to and it wasn't what I had imagined. Rather than sounding empowered, this girl was whining about how she was reprimanded for making out in the middle of the dance. _Well, duh, most schools do have PDA policies for everyone so I doubt you were singled out._

When she started to talk about her 'after prom activities' and how they were filmed and broadcast to the rest of her classmates, I got the distinct feeling that this was less about being treated unfairly and more about bragging.

"Well, I think if you don't want everyone to see you doing the nasty, you shouldn't be doing it in a parked car right outside the gym."

I turned sharply to see who had spoken and was surprised the see a young man with blonde hair standing right next to me.

"Excuse me?" I didn't know why this guy was talking to me. Maybe he thought I was someone else.

He smiled conspiratorially at me. "I went to high school with her. She and her girlfriend were always putting on a show for the guys. They got off on the attention, taking it way past the line of everyday PDA. I swear half the time it was like soft core lesbian porn in the hallways."

My mild disgust at the thought of that must have shown because the guy busted up laughing. "I'm Brad, by the way."

"Kurt." I said with a small smile. He had a nice laugh. He wasn't bad looking either.

"You wanna get out of here? I don't think I can listen to her talk about the injustice she suffered as a teenage lesbian anymore." He rolled his eyes comically and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Um, sure." I followed him from the crowd, disappointed that the fellowship I was seeking in that meeting wasn't there. But maybe it wasn't all bad. I did meet someone.

We ambled across the campus, not really talking about anything of importance, just random small talk about classes and professors. We reached the parking lot and he made no move to leave my side until I reached my car. I played with my keys for a minute, not wanting the conversation to end, but knowing that I needed to get home.

"So, Kurt, can I call you sometime?" Brad's smile was genuine so I decided to take a chance. I pulled my phone from my pocket and exchanged it for his, typing my number in his contacts and waiting for him to finish with mine. He looked at my phone curiously before handing it back to me.

"What?" I questioned, a smile of my own stretching across my face.

"Who's the kid in your background?"

My smile stretched wider. "That's my son, Jude. We took him to the zoo for his second birthday."

"Oh."

That one word had my smile gone in an instant. It wasn't even the word but the tone that did it. It wasn't like _Oh, that's interesting._It was more like _Oh, I am never going to contact you ever_.

"Yeah," I replied softly, stuffing my phone back in my pocket and climbing into my SUV. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Brad."

"Yeah, uh, you too, Kurt." And with that he was gone, his pace a lot more hurried than it had been on our way there.

"Yeah," I mumbled to myself. I wondered if it was always going to be like that. Meet a guy, talk, laugh, mention that I have a kid, and watch as they run as fast as they can in the other direction. For all that college was more accepting, I didn't think I would be bringing a boy home to meet the parents anytime soon. But that was fine. I had so many other things to focus on right then that I didn't have time for a relationship anyhow. Yeah, the single life was great. Sure.


	13. Chapter 13

My first two years at OSU were not that exciting really. I was taking the minimum number of classes to keep my scholarships which meant that I was technically still a college sophomore when the summer rolled around. My scholarships would pay for two more years, leaving me to seek other means of paying for the final year it would take to finish my degree. I had been saving money for Jude and me to get an apartment in Columbus, but Dad was against this.

"I don't see why you're in such a hurry to move out right now, Kurt. You've still got a couple of years of school left. Why not wait until you're finished up?" Dad was giving me that look that was a mixture of exasperation and worry. I didn't want him to worry about me. It wasn't good for his heart.

"I don't want to be in my mid-twenties and still living with my parents. It's just sad. Besides, don't you and Carole want to have some time to yourselves? You never got a proper honeymoon, after all, what with Jude getting sick right after wedding." I still felt guilty about that. Rather than taking their trip to Waikiki, she and Dad had spent the week designated for their honeymoon in the hospital with me and Jude. What had been originally diagnosed as a cold turned out to be RSV which turned into pneumonia. I'd never been more terrified in my life.

"Hawaii will still be there in three years, Kurt," Dad said sternly.

"You don't know that for sure. Stuff happens," I countered. I knew I was being ridiculous but it was the only thing that popped in my head that didn't sound like whining. Dad's grin told me that he knew I was out of answers.

"Well, if it does decide to sink into the ocean between now and then I guess Carole and I could always go to the Bahamas." His expression turned serious again. "I mean it, Kurt; you know we love having you two here. I know you don't want to be a burden, but what you gotta understand is you're not. At all. You never could be."

"I could be if I wanted," I grumbled, knowing the argument was lost. Dad just laughed.

"No, you couldn't. Since you were little you've been the most responsible kid I've ever seen. You can't stand to be idle. Never thought I'd have a kid so willing to do chores and as soon as I was sure you wouldn't kill yourself in the shop you started pulling more than your own weight in there. At twelve you were already a better mechanic than some of the guys I hired back then."

It was true. After my mother passed I spent a lot of time in the shop with Dad. I wanted to be just like him so I watched every movement he made like I was studying him for science.

"Alright, Dad. You win. I've got to go study for my last two finals before I put Jude in the tub." I sighed and turned back to the books in front of me. Jude was in the backyard playing while Carole worked in the garden. After I finished with this chapter I was going to join him. I could never get enough of playing with him.

His latest obsession was climbing trees. It had freaked me out the first time I saw him perched on a limb twenty feet in the air, but he had simply laughed his silent laugh and gracefully swooped down to the ground, signing to me a mile a minute about the bird's nest he had found. I 'oohed' appropriately while my heartbeat regained a normal pace and before I knew it he was scrambling back up the tree. Carole had smiled knowingly at me as I watched with terror on my face.

"He'll be fine, Kurt. Don't be such a worrywart."

I had looked at her incredulously and she burst into laughter.

"Alright mister, I'm pretty sure we could grow potatoes in the dirt on your legs. It's bath time." I poured bubble bath into the warm water and watched as it turned into froth. I turned at the tap on my shoulder.

'I'm ready.' Jude stood before me in his blue bathrobe, rubber duckies in his pockets. I smiled at him, setting the toys on the side of the tub before plopping him inside.

"Eyes closed so we can wash your hair." I loved this. He had inherited Simone's hair, shiny black waves that hung past the nape of his neck when wet. When it was dry it curled enough to not look girly. His features were mostly his mother's, but I was evident in his blue eyes and his smile. And his stubborn personality. That he definitely got from me. He was tall for his age, clumsy most of the time, but graceful when he concentrated on it. He loved music and he loved to dance. Brittany, who had started a dance studio after graduation, had even offered to enroll him in classes despite his being two years younger than her youngest class. I had thought about it, but I didn't want him to lose the freedom he exuded when he danced. Maybe when he's older, I'd told her, to which she smiled and nodded and continued to tell me all about her work.

"Okay, now we rinse." Jude's hands covered his eyes as I poured water over his sudsy locks. "All done."

I settled myself on the floor by the tub, textbook in my lap while he played with his ducks. The water would stay warm for another twenty minutes or so, just enough time for me to review one more chapter.

A wet hand on my shoulder pulled my attention from my history text just a moment later.

"You ready to get out?" I asked. Usually Jude fought to stay in the bath even after the water had cooled and his fingers had pruned.

He shook his head and bit his lip. I could tell he wanted to ask me something so I closed my book and gave him my full attention. I didn't know what he might ask but I certainly wasn't expecting what he eventually signed out.

'Where's my mommy?'

Crap.

I knew that one day this would come up. I had thought about Simone often over the past four years but she had never attempted to contact us and I respected her wishes in leaving her be as well. I racked my brain trying to figure out a way to explain to him our situation the right way so he could understand without making him upset.

"Well," I began, pausing to take a deep breath. "Your mommy lives far away." That was a simple enough explanation, but I knew it wouldn't be enough to satisfy his curiosity.

'Why?'

Yep. I was right.

"Because her mommy and daddy live far away and she lives with them." I wasn't sure if this was still true but it was a good enough explanation for now.

'Why doesn't she live with us?' There was no sadness in his face, just curiosity, so I figured I might as well explain everything to him. Well, not everything. Some details could wait until he was older and there were certain things that you just don't talk about with your kid, but he had asked and I figured he deserved a decent explanation.

"Mommy and I met when she was in Ohio going to school." I was about to go on when his little hands began to move again.

'She went to school away from home like Uncle Finn?'

I smiled at him. He was always so full of questions and while it could be trying sometimes I loved that he was eager to learn everything about everything.

"Yes. Like Uncle Finn. But her school was a lot farther away from her home. And after you came out of her tummy she had to go home because she was finished with school, but I didn't want you to leave so we decided you should stay with me and Grandma and Grandpa." I looked him straight in the eye to make sure my next words really sunk in. "She loved you very much and she wanted you to have the best care possible. She knew that I would give that to you so even though it made her sad she let you stay with me."

He nodded thoughtfully. I let out a shaky breath, glad that he didn't seem upset.

'How did I get in her tummy?'

Oh dear God. I was not ready _this_ conversation.

"Um, well, when a man and a woman want to have a baby they plant a seed in the woman's tummy so that a baby can grow inside until he's ready to come out." I vaguely remembered my own mother giving me this simplified explanation when I had asked the same question when I was six. I prayed to anyone who would listen that it would be enough for Jude right now.

'Did you grow in Grandma's tummy?'

Well at least he wasn't asking for me details about his conception.

"No, my mommy died when I was a little bit older than you. When I was older Grandpa met Grandma and they decided they loved each other and wanted to get married and she became like a new mommy to me. I still love my mommy very much but I love Grandma very much, too." _Please be done with the questions, please._

'Will I get a new mommy some day when you get married?'

Dammit.

Now this was a subject that I was even more wary to approach with my four year old child. This had to be done delicately. I took my time to gather my thoughts.

"You know how Aunt Brittany and Aunt Santana like to hold hands and kiss each other?" To be truthful, after the two had officially come out as a couple our senior year, Santana was at first cautious about showing affection to Brit in front of Jude. I appreciated her attempt at discretion but told her as long as it was kept at a PG level, "_Well, duh, Porcelain. We's not gonna get it on in front of him_," I didn't want her to pretend to be someone she wasn't. I wanted him to know that there was nothing wrong with loving whoever you loved.

Jude nodded, so I continued.

"Well, Daddy likes to hold hands with boys so if I were to get married someday it would be to a boy instead of a girl, so you wouldn't get a new mommy but you might get another daddy, but only if it was okay with you."

He seemed to think about this for a moment before nodding. He turned his attention back to his ducks and I gave a small sigh of relief that the inquisition seemed to be over for the moment. I was pretty sure studying was a lost cause now, but at least the conversation had gone fairly smoothly.

I let Jude play for a few more minutes before announcing it was time for him to get out of the tub. We finished the rest of his bedtime routine and I got him settled under his Spiderman sheets with the promise of a story and a song.

He had just fallen asleep when I heard movement at our door. I looked up to see Dad watching us.

I put my fingers to my lips to signal him to be quiet as I made my way out of the room. Dad was watching me with a strange smile on his lips.

"Heard you having a conversation with my grandson in the bathroom," he said simply.

"You know, you could have jumped in at any time there Dad. I was floundering." I glared at him as he chuckled quietly.

"Nah, you did fine, Kurt. You've always been better with words than me."

I chewed my lip thoughtfully. "Do you really think I said the right things? I mean, I knew that I'd have to answer questions like this one day, but I was still totally unprepared. I just hope I didn't say anything wrong about his mother, or confuse him about me or—"

"Kurt!" Dad's exclamation came out loud and I immediately turned back to the sleeping child ten feet from us. Nope, still out. That kid could sleep just as hard as Finn sometimes. I turned back to my father, my eyes narrowed in warning.

"Kurt," he said softly, "you did fine. You did better than I could've in the same situation. I know sometimes it's hard but it's always best to be honest to your kid. Even if it might be hard for them to hear, it's better than them finding out down the road they were lied to."

"Yeah, I guess. I just don't want to screw this up." My voice was shaking and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes.

Dad just reached out and gripped my shoulder until I met his gaze. "You are a wonderful father, Kurt. Don't you ever think otherwise. You will screw up sometimes, but that's part of being a parent. Trust me, I know."

"What are you talking about? You never screwed up with me." I grinned up at him. "You're SuperDad."

"Yeah, well, sometimes it sure didn't feel like it. You went through a lot of hell in school and I feel like I shoulda done more for you." He exhaled loudly. "I mean, the only reason you even joined the damn football team was because you were afraid to tell me something I already knew."

My grin stayed in place as I wrapped my arms around him. "Dad, you were great. I was just scared of admitting who I was to anyone, not just you." I released him and stepped back, now waiting for him to meet _my_ eyes. "And besides, if I hadn't joined the football team, I wouldn't have met Simone at that party and I wouldn't have Jude."

Seeing that my father, the best dad in the entire world, had doubts about his parenting skills made me feel a little bit better about my own. Maybe I wasn't doing too bad a job after all.

**AN: I got tired of the line break function not working properly so I improvised. Hope it doesn't mess anyone up.**


	14. Chapter 14

Out of all of the members of the New Directions, I can honestly say that Puck was the last of us I expected to get married. Much less, to be the first to take the plunge.

"I got fucking married, dude! Can you believe it?" Puck's voice rang through my phone speakers at five in the morning. This was not how I expected to be awoken on the last Saturday of June.

"No, I can't." I deadpanned. "Now please enlighten me as to why you've decided to wake me so early on a Saturday, Noah."

"Dude, I told you! Me and Lauren got married this morning!" He laughed loudly and I had to pull the phone from my ear. I glanced over at Jude's still sleeping form enviously.

"What do you mean you got married this morning?" The background noise coming from Puck's end was getting louder. Was that bells? Sirens? What the hell was that noise?

"Dude," Puck said seriously. "We drove all day yesterday and got here at, like, two in the morning. Then we found the first all night chapel that took cash instead of a credit card—"

"We got White Castle first," Lauren interjected from the background. There was a slurping sound that I was pretty sure them making out so I concentrated on the hole in the toe of my sock until it passed.

"You're right, Babe, we got White Castle then we got fucking _married_! By Elvis!"

I finally put two and two together. The all-day drive, the background noise, the all-night chapel, Elvis.

"Oh dear God. You're in Vegas."

"Yup!" Puck's laughter sounded again followed by more kissing noises. I was about to hang up when the sound of the impromptu make out session ended. Newlyweds. "So, Hummel, as my best man I expect you to throw me one hell of a bachelor party when I get back home."

"Wait, what? _I'm_ your best man?" Surely I'd misheard him.

Puck just snorts like I'm being dense. "Duh, if you hadn't had to miss regionals cause of Little Dude, I never would have gotten locked in that port-a-potty and I never would have met Lauren. You're like a gay cupid."

"Because a fat naked angel in a diaper screams heterosexual," I replied. I was still trying to process way too much information and it was way too early for all this and I really needed coffee. Pronto.

"Okay, Puckerman—"

"It's Zizes-Puckerman, man."

"Seriously? Okay, whatever, I need to get off here for the moment because Jude will be waking up soon and I need a minute to wrap my head around all this so he doesn't think his daddy is crazy. When are you going to be back in town?"

I watched as Jude started stirring. He was slow to wake, but once he'd rubbed the sleep from his eyes he would be ready to face the day with more energy than three Rachel Berrys.

"We're heading out tomorrow but we're taking our time on the way home." Puck's voice slipped into a lower octave. "Honeymoon, ya' know?"

I had never been so glad to have not yet eaten in my life. I worked to keep my voice neutral when I spoke again. "Okay, definitely don't want to be hearing about that. Think you'll be back by Thursday?"

"Yeah, dude, totally."

"Okay," I huffed. "I will get everyone together and set up something for that evening. It's Finn's and my day off from the garage and Carole is on vacation right now so she should be able to watch Jude for the evening." I made a mental list of all the things we could do on a Thursday night in Lima. Our options were few, but I did have one idea that I was pretty sure we could all agree on. "So leave the details to me and be here and ready at seven sharp Thursday night."

+++ **I can't get line breaks to work at all** +++

Two days of planning and calling the majority of the members of the New Directions—nobody wanted Rachel there even if she hadn't stayed in New York for the summer, Mercedes was busy recording an album in Los Angeles, and Rory was back in Ireland with his family—led to a guest list of Finn, Sam, Artie, and myself. Mike couldn't make it due to plans with Tina's family and I couldn't begrudge him that. They were still ridiculously happy together even though they were going to colleges across the country from one another. It gave me hope. I contacted Quinn, Brit, and Santana, too, and they were organizing a get together for Lauren for the same night. From what I gathered Santana's older brother had some friends that would love to help _entertain_ the ladies.

"Your brother has stripper friends? _Male_ stripper friends?" I squeaked over the phone. I was glad she couldn't see how red my face was turning. "Why have you never informed me of this?"

"Easy, Porcelain," she snickered. "You forget which team I play for?" I could practically hear the eye-roll over the phone.

"Satan, we live in the butt-crack of Ohio. I have next to no options for my viewing pleasure here and I'm currently in a twenty-one year dry spell. Help a friend out, sister."

"Ha! You have proof of at least one wet spot in that dry spell, Hummel," she cackled.

"Ew. Though your choice of words disgusts me, I guess I set myself up for that one. It still doesn't count, or did you forget what team _I_ play for?"

"Whatevs. I'll snap some pics for you to put on your right hand playlist—"

"Santana!"

"—'cause I know you have this weird aversion to porn and are too scared of your kiddo finding a Playgirl mag to actually own one."

I cringed and was so glad that Jude was downstairs watching WonderPets. There was no way I wanted him to accidentally hear any of this conversation.

"Okay! Changing the subject," I said in a pitch I had thought was gone with puberty. How my mirror didn't crack I would never know. "Just make sure you guys have a good time, make sure Lauren has a good time and most of all be safe."

"Are you telling me to use a condom? 'Cause that's not a real issue for me and Brit."

I swore to Grilled Cheesus and the evil dwarf in the teapot that I would never initiate a conversation with Santana Lopez ever again. "I was actually referring to drinking and driving. I will not be indulging so if you guys end up needing a designated driver call me."

"That won't be necessary. Quinn is back to her old Jesus-Freak ways so she said she'd DD for us." Santana's voice lacked its usual bite when she next spoke. "But thank you, Kurt."

++**+ I can't get line breaks to work at all** +++

The day before the bachelor party found me and Jude at the Westerville Mall. My grandmother had given us both $200 gift certificates for Macy's for our birthdays and the mall in Lima only had a JC Penney's so we decided to make a day of it: shopping, pizza, and ice cream with the promise of a new Disney movie before bed if Jude behaved himself all day.

With our shopping done and lunch finished we made our way to the small ice cream parlor at the edge of the mall. It was a nice day so we opted to eat our dessert alfresco. There was some kind of live show being held in the parking lot and the music just added to the fun of the afternoon.

"All done?" I asked my son, reaching for his empty dish. He nodded at me distractedly. He was watching the band onstage, his head bobbing to the beat. "Okay, I'm gonna throw these away. I'll be right back."

I walked to the trash can, having to weave my way through throngs of people. I hadn't realized how much of a crowd had gathered while we were eating. It took me about ten minutes to get back to or table, but when I got there Jude was gone. My heart stopped in that moment.

"Jude! JUDE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. People close to me were staring but I didn't give a damn. The music was too loud and my voice wasn't carrying as far as it should. I felt tears in my eyes but I dashed them away. I needed to be able to see. "JUDE!"

The crowd was whooping and hollering at the stage when it occurred to me. The microphone! I didn't care if I interrupted the performance or if everyone thought I was insane, I needed to get to that microphone so I could announce that my son was missing before whatever pedophile that had snatched him could get away.

I was two seconds from leaping onto the platform when I saw him. Onstage. Dancing.

I nearly fainted with relief. There was my boy, safe and sound and apparently impressing the crowd with his moves. The singer was grinning down at him while he crooned, eyes crinkling with the force of his smile. Jude's eyes were closed as he swayed and dipped with a grace that was usually missing from his everyday actions. He was beautiful.

I was on an emotional rollercoaster, going from relief that my son was not in any danger to anger that he had run off and scared me like that.

I didn't rush the stage and pull him down like I wanted to. I let him finish his dance and when the song was done the band thanked the crowd and started to pack up. The singer hoisted Jude onto his shoulders to the sound of more cheering. The elation on his little face made my anger fade and I clapped along with the crowd. I waited, watching this man holding my son. He looked to be about my age with curly hair and hazel eyes. He was talking to Jude intently, when Jude scrambled off of his shoulder and ran to the edge of the stage. The man cried out when Jude leaped off.

The boy landed in my arms, knocking me onto my backside. I wrapped him in my arms tightly, murmuring about him never running off like that again. He pulled back from me and began signing in a fury.

"I know. I saw you. You were great, sweetie. Just don't scare me like that." I couldn't stay mad at him when he was grinning like that.

"Hey, is he with you?" An unfamiliar spoke from above me and I realized I was still sitting on the hot asphalt of a mall parking lot. Though my jeans were no longer designer, they had still been one of my nicer pairs and tar was a bitch to get out of denim. I scrambled to get up as gracefully as possible, Jude still signing a mile a minute beside me.

"Yep, he's mine. I thought I'd lost him there for a minute until I saw him on stage."

"Oh, sorry about that," the man said sheepishly. A slight blush was creeping up onto his cheeks. I couldn't help but notice how it made him look even younger. "He was dancing at the front of the crowd and he was just so into it, I just hopped down and gathered him up. It didn't even occur to me that I would be worrying anyone."

"It's okay, really. It's not your fault." I looked pointedly at Jude who now had the sense to at least look a little abashed. "He was supposed to be sitting at our table while I threw away our ice cream dishes. Weren't you, Jude?"

The boy nodded and peered up at me with those big blue eyes in full on puppy mode. He knew I was upset, but he also knew exactly how to wrap me around his little finger. My son was evil in a pint-sized package.

"Jude? Like the Beatles song or the actor?" The man's smile was distracting. That's my only excuse for what slipped out of my mouth next.

"Beatles, of course. Why would I name my son after some actor I thought was hot in high school?" As soon as the words were out I froze. Not only did I just tell this stranger that I was a father, which was fine because I was proud of my son and didn't care who knew it, but I also implied that I was gay, not something I usually revealed to people I didn't know.

"Son?" He exlaimed. The look of shock on his face would have been priceless if it hadn't also been heartbreaking. It was always the same.

"Yeah, well thanks for not being some crazy psycho and keeping an eye on my son, er, whoever you are."

I grabbed Jude's hand and quickly started across the parking lot. My truck was on the other side of the mall but I just couldn't stand to turn around and go the other way.

I was concentrating on Jude's feet, trying to make sure he didn't trip so I didn't notice the sound of footfalls behind us.

"Blaine." The man from the stage darted out in front of us, panting. I stopped, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Pardon?" I said coldly after I began walking again. I really just wanted to go home and curl up with my son and some popcorn and veg out on some Disney goodness.

"My name is Blaine. Blaine Anderson." He stared at me, walking backwards in front of us. I guess he was waiting for me to reply. I didn't intend to. "What's yours? Come on, at least give me that."

"Why?" I asked, my voice still laced with ice. What the hell did this guy want?

"So I can ask for your number?"

"What?" Wait, what? Was this guy asking me out?

"I'd really like to get to know you, but I can't really do that if you don't tell me your name." He looked at me, grinning. "Also, your number would be really helpful on that part."

I just continued to stare at him, dumbfounded.

"Or not." His eyes widened comically. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. You're probably in a relationship or something and I practically stole your son out of the audience earlier so I probably look like a creep and I'm really sor—"

"No!" I shouted, startling both of us. He jumped back, watching me warily. "I mean, no I'm not with anyone. And no, I don't think you're some kind of creep. A little odd maybe, but that's okay." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"So, then, can you tell me your name?" He said hopefully.

"Kurt," I replied, scanning the lot for my car. We were almost there and I pulled my keys from my pocket, unlocking the doors. Blaine followed and stood by while I strapped Jude into his booster seat.

"Well, Kurt, could I have your number?"

I smirked at him as I climbed into the driver's seat.

"Alright, but I'm only going to say it once so you better pay attention." I started the engine, keeping my foot on the brake. I leaned out the window and rattled off my cell number. He was furiously typing into his own cell when I started to pull forward.

"Wait, what was the last digit?" He yelled to me as I started to drive away.

"Figure it out!" I called back. I watched him in the rearview mirror, shaking his head and grinning.

Maybe this guy will actually call me. Maybe.

**AN: This was getting long so I decided to split it into two parts. The bachelor party will be published tomorrow **


	15. Chapter 15

I had just gotten Jude to sleep when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I glanced at the ID, but it was an unknown number. I used to be wary of answering unknown calls but it had been years since the last crank call, nowadays I just got a lot of wrong numbers.

"Hello?" I said softly, pulling the door to our bedroom almost closed. There was heavy breathing on the other end. Lovely. I really thought those calls were done.

"Hello? If you don't say anything in the next five seconds I'm hanging up and blocking this number." I waited, but there was still no response. "Five, four, three, two—"

"Wait!" There was more breathing and finally, "Kurt?"

Oh! Was this the guy from the mall?

"Yes. And this is?"

"Uh, Blaine. Anderson. We met today. I kidnapped your kid. Accidently, of course, but, yeah." There was more silence after that. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm here," I said laughingly. Wow, he sounded so nervous. I couldn't believe a guy was nervous talking to _me_. It was usually the other way around. "So, was there a reason you called?"

"Yeah, I, uh, wanted to know if you wanted to go out. With me. Tomorrow night?"

I bit my lip, wavering. I hadn't had a date in a while and as much as I loved my friends, spending the entire night talking about girls and Halo didn't sound like the most fun ever. But I couldn't very well bail on my best man duties, as ridiculous as it was that I even carried that title.

"Well, I kind of have a thing I have to do tomorrow night, but if you'd like you can tag along. It'll be me, my brother and a couple of our friends. You interested?" I was surprised at how much I was hoping he would come and not just to distract me from 'guy talk'.

"Uh, sure. As long as you don't think any of them would mind. Can I ask what we'll be doing?"

"I'm throwing a friend a bachelor party," I said nonchalantly.

"Oh, okay." He didn't seem that excited by the idea. Maybe he really didn't want to go. "It's not at a strip club or anything like that, is it? I mean, if you hadn't already got that, boobs aren't really my thing."

I burst into laughter, pulling the phone away from my face. Dad poked his head out his bedroom door and looked at me like I was insane. I just shook my head at him and gestured to my cell. He rolled his eyes and left me in the hall trying to stifle my mirth. I could hear faint cries of 'Kurt' coming from my phone that was still at my side.

"Hmm, sorry about that. You caught me off guard there." I tried to keep a straight face, I really did, but as I spoke I couldn't keep small chuckles from escaping my lips. "And to answer your question, no, there will be no boobs. We're going to karaoke at the local roller rink. I'm pretty sure Lauren would kill me if I took Puck to a strip club and, yeah, _so_ not my thing either."

After a few more minutes of conversation, it was decided that Blaine would meet me here so we could all ride together, even if he wouldn't be drinking.

"I won't be of age until September, and besides, I tend to do stupid things when I drink," he told me.

"I understand that completely," I replied. _You have no idea_, I thought to myself.

When I finally pushed the end button I was feeling positively giddy. I just hoped none of the other guys cared that I invited a stranger to our guys night.

"Okay, so Jude's book is on the nightstand. We're on chapter seven and no matter what he says we only read one chapter each night." I looked pointedly at my son who was the picture of innocence on his grandfather's lap. "Be good for Grandma and Grandpa and I will take you to the fireworks show tomorrow. If you're not, we'll stay in and I'll make you watch Independence Day with Uncle Finn." Jude smiled at me and I knew that my threat wasn't all that terrifying to him. He loved hanging out with his uncle.

'I'll be good, Daddy. Promise. I love you,' he signed to me. I wrapped him in a tight hug, lifting him off of my father's lap before plopping him back down.

"I love you, too." I reluctantly made my way to the door. As much as I was looking forward to hanging out with my friends (and Blaine) I hated being apart from him, even if I knew it was only for a few hours.

It took ten minutes of arguing to figure out the seating arrangement in my Navigator. Puck wanted to sit up front but I knew from experience that Finn would be cramped sitting in the back or the middle. I felt bad throwing Blaine in the back with a bunch of guys he didn't know, especially that bunch, but as he was the shortest of the group he got the very back seat with Sam. He didn't seem to mind. I glanced in the rearview mirror a time or two and found them chatting amiably.

We were halfway there when I felt Puck's chin on my shoulder.

"Hey, Princess, how come I've never met this Blaine before? I thought we were tight."

"Noah, sit back and buckle up or you're paying the ticket." Of course he ignored me. Finn was intent on his game of Stupid Zombies, effectively blocking out the conversation Puck and I were holding not two feet away from him. "And I only met him yesterday. He asked me out so I invited him along tonight." I waited for the smart-ass reply and when it didn't come I turned to see Puck staring at me with eyes bugged and mouth agape. "What?"

"Dude, this is your first date with this guy? And you brought him to my bachelor party," he whispered harshly.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind. Sorry, I guess." Well, now I felt bad. I had inadvertently turned my date into a party crasher.

"I don't give a damn about him being here, Hummel. I'm actually glad to see you getting a little action," he snorted.

"Thanks, Santana," I grumbled.

"But, Dude, really? Karaoke at a roller rink with four other dudes is your idea of a first date? Hell, even I took Lauren to Breadstix for our first date."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the road. We were getting close. "She stood you up and you ended up making out with a waitress for twenty minutes."

"Yeah, but at least I tried, man."

"Well, I don't exactly have a lot of experience at this sort of thing, Puck!" My whispers were getting louder. "I thought this might be less pressure. And if it turns out we have nothing to talk about there will be plenty of other opportunities for conversation for both of us." I swallowed around a lump in my throat. I didn't even know this guy really but I wanted the night to go well. Crap. "You really think this was a crappy date idea? Oh, god, it is, isn't it?"

"Nah, it'll be fine, Hummel. If he doesn't like the date then screw him." Puck's eyebrows waggled suggestively. "I mean it, screw him and lose his number. Just because the date flops doesn't mean you shouldn't get some, no strings attached."

"Noah!" I shrieked. Suddenly the entrance of the parking lot was right there and I had to slam the brakes and jerk the wheel to make the turn. Puck rolled in his seat and fell into Artie who just glared at him silently.

"Kurt, you suck! You're the worst best man ever!"

"I told you to wear your seatbelt," I said in my best sing-song voice. We all piled out, Finn getting Artie back into his chair, and strode into Rinky-Dinks like we owned the place. Everybody was talking at once and I had to admit I really missed this. The last time we had been out like this had been over a year ago and the time before that was graduation night. It made me realize that I really had no social life.

All the guys except Blaine and I went straight to the bar ordering beers and nachos. I didn't see how the two could possibly taste good together but who was I to judge?

"So, Sam was telling me you guys were all in glee club together," Blaine said as a conversation starter. I smiled. At least they hadn't scared him off yet.

"Yeah, well, I had to drop out the last semester of my senior year but otherwise, yeah, we were all in the New Directions."

"Wait, New Directions from McKinley? No way," he guffawed. His grin stretched across his face revealing a lot of very nice teeth.

"Yes way. Why?"

"I was in the Warblers from Dalton Academy. We competed against you guys at Sectionals my sophomore year." He looked at me curiously, settling at one of the larger tables towards the back of the building. The others were making their way to us with drinks in hand. Artie was being used as a trolley, a tray with two large bottles of whiskey and six shot glasses balanced on his lap, Finn pushing him. "How did I not notice you there?"

"I didn't go to sectionals my junior year," I told him. "Jude was in the hospital with pneumonia and I wouldn't leave his side until he was released." I hoped the subject changed soon. It wasn't a memory I enjoyed.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Well, so much for having a nice conversation with the guy. I really sucked at dating.

He was staring at me with this intense look on his face. I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do right then, but I knew that blushing and staring back—the things I _was_ doing—probably weren't the best choices.

"This is probably gonna sound really rude but how is it that you have a five-year-old son when you're only twenty-one. And gay. You don't have to tell me, I'm just curious." He said all this in a rush like he was afraid if he stopped he wouldn't get it all out.

"No, it's fine. It's a long story, though," I said quietly.

He gestured to my friends at the other end of the table who were already well on their way to being obnoxiously drunk and arguing over who would sing what when their turn on stage came around. He looked back at me and I swear his eyes actually sparkled when he smiled. "I think we have time."

Five hours, twenty-three songs and a whole lot of alcohol later it was closing time and the task of getting four very drunk young men into one vehicle had me rethinking my role as designated driver. I was pretty sure Artie could have been given a DUI for how he was handling his chair at that moment and he wasn't even as bad off as the others.

If I hadn't already decided that I liked the guy, Blaine endeared himself to me by helping me with my overly intoxicated charges. Bless him, the boy even took a crack at steering Finn. It was comical and I admit I let out more than one snort of laughter at their antics.

"No, no, Finn. Finn! No, you need to walk this way, towards the truck. No, don't worry about the cat over there, I swear he's not lonely. He has a whole kitty family waiting for him at home so if you took him with you they'd miss him. Yes, Finn, I am the cat whisperer." Blaine's bewildered expression combined with his soothing tone had me doubled over in laughter. Thankfully, I already had the rest of the guys loaded and Puck was snoring loudly across Sam's lap in the very back seat.

It took both of us to get Finn into the front seat where he immediately began to snore. I turned around in my seat to see Blaine being hugged by a very drunken and happy Artie who was going on and on about how Blaine reminded him of the teddy bear he had when he was six. He looked at me questioningly before mouthing 'What do I do?' I just grinned at him and started the engine.

By the time we made it back to Puck's parent's house all four of my drunken friends were passed out. Lucky for Blaine and me, Lauren was waiting for us and proceeded to carry all four men in one at a time by herself, much to Blaine's amazement. She thanked me for getting her hubby home safe and shut the door without another word.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Blaine mused as we headed back to my place. I was quiet, contemplating something, but I wasn't sure how it would come across. As we pulled into the drive I just decided to go for it.

I cut the motor. Neither of us made a move to get out of the vehicle, we just stared at each other. Finally, I mustered up the courage to speak.

"Look, I don't mean to sound forward, but it's, like, two in the morning and seeing as you live over an hour from here, doyouwannaspendthenight?" I held my breath hoping that I hadn't just freaked Blaine out.

He looked at me and slowly smiled. "Sure, that would probably be a good idea. Safer, yeah."

"Right, safety first and all that jazz." Wow, I sounded like such a dork.

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, and then closed it immediately. I sat, waiting, and I was just about to reach for the door handle when he spoke, sounding just as nervous as I was.

"Can I kiss you?"

_Oh. Wow. Okay. Yeah. Answer him. He's staring at you. Now he's looking worried. SAY SOMETHING!_

Instead I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his. They were kind of chapped but that was alright because I was kissing a boy and it felt _good_. I mean, I had kissed a couple of guys over the last two years of college (and had one very heated make-out and grind session) but it had never been quite like this. First of all, he asked _permission_ to kiss me. How gentlemanly. Secondly, even ten seconds in, he wasn't forcing his tongue into my mouth. His lips were moving softly against mine. It was so sweet and gentle and totally amazing.

When we finally parted I gasped for air. Even in my head it sounded cheesy but Blaine had taken my breath away.

I stared at him wide-eyed while my heartbeat steadied back into something resembling its normal rate. He just grinned toothily, his own breathing labored.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Yeah, wow," I replied breathlessly. I could have stayed there in that moment just staring at him for hours but even at two a.m. it was horribly humid and the interior of the car was rapidly becoming stifling.

I exited the car and he followed me silently, grabbing my hand in his as we walked up the driveway. The gesture sent butterflies in circles in my stomach.

I signaled for him to be quiet as we tiptoed into the living room. The television was still on, a blue screen shedding enough light for me to make up the sofa-bed without breaking anything and waking the rest of the house.

"I'll be right back," I whispered. "If you want to watch a movie or something the remotes are on the end table just keep the sound down." He nodded at me, goofy smile still plastered on his face, and I tread up the stairs, skipping the third from the top because it squeaks no matter how lightly you step on it. I peeked into my room first to check on Jude, but he wasn't in his bed. Or my bed for that matter.

I went farther down the hall to Dad and Carole's room where the door was slightly cracked and snores were clearly sounding. One quick peek was all it took to know my baby was safe and sound for the night. He had Dad's arm in a death grip and Carole's arm snaked around his waist. It was absolutely adorable. I took a quick picture on my phone because I just couldn't resist, then eased the door shut the rest of the way.

"The Lion King, Blaine?" I said quietly, startling him. He shrugged and smiled at me again. Was he always this perpetually cheerful?

"I love Disney and it was already in the player, so…" With another shrug he patted the spot next to him on the pull-out. "Watch some with me?"

I don't why I felt so comfortable with this guy. I mean, I had known him for less than three days but there I was fussing with pillows and telling him to quit hogging the good blanket and before I knew it we were cuddling.

He never got handsy, which was great because no matter how much I may or may not have liked the guy, I wasn't ready for anything physical. And even if I was, it most definitely wouldn't be happening with my parents and kid just up the stairs. Instead, as the movie progressed and my eyes started to droop, I felt his fingers moving through my hair, swirling abstract patterns lightly on my scalp. We were lying down together and my head was on his chest and somehow it just felt right.

Just as I was falling asleep, I thought I heard him singing along with Elton John but I couldn't tell you for certain.


	16. Chapter 16

I woke the next morning to the sound of laughter. As the sleep fog left my brain, I realized that I was on the sofa-bed in the living room. Alone. Which meant that either Blaine had snuck out in the wee hours of the morning or he was in somewhere in my house. From the sounds of scraping silverware and hearty laughter I assumed he was in the kitchen with my family. I hadn't really planned on introducing him to them yet, but at least there was no yelling.

"So then, Finn and Puck got up on stage and starting singing Aqua's 'Candyman'. I swear, half the people in the audience had their phones out recording it so if that doesn't end up on Youtube I'll be surprised."

Dad and Carole were laughing while Blaine told embarrassing stories about my stepbrother's antics from the party as I shuffled into the kitchen. Carole's warm smile alerted Blaine to my presence and he looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey, sleepyhead," he said cheerily. I smiled back before glancing at the clock. Seven thirty-two.

"If Jude's still sleeping at this hour, then you let him stay up way past his bedtime," I spoke to my father as I grabbed a banana from the counter. He just 'hmmed' innocently and made himself busy rinsing his coffee cup and putting it in the dishwasher. Carole watched him lovingly and offered to refill Blaine's mug.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Hummel," he said politely. He turned to me, raising an eyebrow at my choice of breakfast. "You can't tell me you're not going to have any of these pancakes? Your mom is an amazing cook."

My breath hitched slightly and I saw Carole's eyes widen across the table. Blaine had already turned back to his plate and didn't notice my hesitation before I replied. "Yeah, she is. You should taste her lasagna."

Blaine's eyes widened comically as he turned to Carole, his mouth still stuffed full of pancake. Thankfully, he swallowed before speaking. "You make lasagna? Like homemade, not from a box, honest to goodness lasagna?"

She nodded in response but her eyes were shining and locked with mine. I smiled back at her, my own eyes feeling slightly wet. I didn't think I would ever actually feel comfortable calling her that, but I did think of her like a mom now. I loved her almost as much as my own mother, which is why I didn't correct Blaine. He didn't know and I didn't want to hurt her. I could tell him more about my life later.

"Oh, Kurt! I have got to try that sometime!" He said excitedly. Then he blushed for the second time since I'd met him, realizing that he had just unthinkingly invited himself to dinner with my family. I just grinned at him.

"Well, I think Carole was planning on making that tonight," I said after a moment. "Would you like to stay for dinner? If Dad and Carole don't mind of course." I turned to Dad then, who just raised his eyebrow before grunting an affirmative.

"Of course we would love to have you, Blaine," Carole said sweetly. "I always seem to make too much these days, I'm so used to cooking for a houseful of teenagers. Now that Finn's moved out there's leftovers galore."

"Our house was a regular glee club hangout in high school," I confided to Blaine.

"Yeah, you guys seem pretty tight, if last night was anything to go by," he laughed. Either he didn't notice Dad staring at him or he was ignoring it. I was leaning towards the former. The guy seemed kind of oblivious.

"So, Blaine, tell me about yourself. It's not often that I find complete strangers asleep with my son in my living room."

"Dad!"

"Burt!"

Dad ignored both Carole and I and Blaine seemed to finally notice that he was the object of intense scrutiny. He met my father's gaze and at least seemed a little abashed. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Mr. Hummel, I understand how that must have looked to you, but I assure you, it was totally innocent. By the time we got the rest of your son's friends to the Puckerman's home it was already past two and Kurt didn't want me falling asleep at the wheel so he offered to let me stay on the couch. Kurt was just being a polite host and offered to stay up and watch a movie with me because I have trouble sleeping in new places and we fell asleep."

Well, that was mostly true, though I didn't know about the whole sleep trouble bit, but Dad's next words floored me.

"I get that it was late, but I was more referring to the fact that you were wrapped around my son like a squid."

I almost choked on a bite of banana. Blaine reddened again before stuttering out his reply.

"Um, yeah, about that. I'm, uh, what you would call a sleep-snuggler. I don't do it on purpose, but trust me, it's caused some, er, awkward situations throughout the years. I'm just lucky that all my friends know about my sleeping habits and are comfortable with the fact that I'm gay or I probably would have beaten up for it." He swirled the last bit of syrup on his otherwise empty plate with his fork. "I once fell asleep during a movie at my friend David's house and ended up attaching myself to his mother. She still calls me her little koala."

The whole table was silent for minute before Carole's giggle broke the tension. I couldn't help myself either and broke into loud laughter. Even Dad cracked a smile, breaking his stony expression.

Our laughter must have masked the sound of Jude's footfalls because my lap was suddenly claimed by the sleepy-eyed boy.

'What's so funny?' He signed slowly, looking around. His eyes perked up when he noticed Blaine.

'It's the music man!'

I laughed at his choice of words. "Yep! You remember Blaine, don't you buddy?"

He nodded enthusiastically and turned in my lap to look at me. 'Will he sing for me?'

"Well, I don't know. You'll have to ask him." I smiled at Blaine who was smiling at Jude, his head cocked to the side.

"What did you want to ask me, Jude?" He watched with a puzzled expression as Jude began signing rapidly. His eyes flashed to mine once to let me know that he didn't understand a word but otherwise he kept his attention on Jude.

"He wants to know if you'll sing the song from the mall so he can show Grandma and Grandpa his cool dance moves from the stage," I translated. Blaine grinned at him.

"I'd like that if you're Daddy doesn't mind singing with me. I think I'll need his help to do the song without musical accompaniment." He looked at me, his eyes turning shy. "Would you mind, Kurt?"

I gazed back feeling my heartbeat speed up. It took me a minute to realize he was waiting for a reply. "Oh, uh, sure. What was the song again? I was kind of freaking out while you were singing and didn't pay attention."

"Why were you freaking out while he was singing?" Dad interjected. I was startled, having completely forgotten he was even in the room.

"Oh, uh, that would be my fault," Blaine mumbled, turning red to the tips of his ears. "I may have pulled Jude up onstage without telling Kurt, causing him to think his son had been kidnapped."

"What?" Dad growled. Carole laid a restraining hand on his forearm. I just rolled my eyes.

"Easy, Dad, it was a misunderstanding. I went to throw away some trash and when I came back Jude had wondered over to the stage and was dancing and Blaine pulled him up onstage to dance. Really, if Blaine hadn't pulled him onto the stage I would have had a harder time finding him." I pressed my nose to Jude's who let out a breathy giggle at the touch. "And Jude got a talking to about wondering away from Daddy."

"Well, then, I guess it was lucky Blaine found him then," Dad huffed. Carole stood and began clearing the plates from the table, waving away Blaine's attempt to help. She set a bowl of cottage cheese in front of Jude who clapped excitedly and dug in.

"No pancakes for you, either, huh?" Blaine spoke to Jude who shook his head vehemently. I laughed at Blaine's incredulous expression. "You and your Daddy don't know what you're missing. Those were the best pancakes I've ever eaten."

"Thank you, honey," Carole stated, patting Blaine's curls. I rolled my eyes again mouthing 'suck up' to him. He just grinned at me and patted his stomach.

"Well, I gotta be getting to the shop," Dad said, getting up from the table and grabbing his keys from the counter. Jude dropped his spoon to the table and began signing again. "I didn't forget about your dancing, buddy, but you'll just have to show me later. I'm running late as it is. Tonight before dinner, I promise."

Jude's pout was adorable and I could see Dad's desire to please his grandson warring with his need to leave. I knew if I didn't intervene Dad would make himself late just to see Jude smile.

"Hey, sweetie, how about after Grandpa leaves for work we make up a whole setlist of songs for you to dance to and we'll put on a little show before dinner. Does that sound good?" Dad's expression showed relief and he quickly kissed Jude, then me, then Carole, before pausing in front of Blaine and patting him on the shoulder. He was out the door before Jude could turn those big blue eyes on him again.

Jude's hands were flying as he told me what all songs he wanted me and Blaine to sing that he could dance to. I laughed and nodded at him indulgently every once in a while putting in my own two cents. We were in our own little bubble for a few minutes when I realized that Blaine was staring at us. His expression was happy if a little far away. When he noticed me looking back at him, he blushed and stood. I

"Uh, I guess I'll be sticking around for a while, so do you mind if I take a quick shower?" He chewed his lip, not meeting my gaze. "I'm pretty sure I smell like smoke and booze from last night."

"Yeah, sure," I replied. Jude had turned back to his breakfast and I slipped myself out from under him. "Do you need to borrow some clothes? I've got some sweats that you could wear while I wash those." I motioned for him to follow me out of the kitchen.

"Oh, no, I have extra clothes in my car," he said with a shrug. "It's an old habit from high school that I never broke."

"Did your high school have a slushy machine, too," I asked. His confused gaze gave me my answer to that.

"Uh, no, I just had some problems at home with my dad and I would crash with friends or even sleep in my car a lot of the time." He said this like it was no big deal. I on the other hand was astounded.

"What? You slept in your car? In high school?" My voice raised in pitch even as it lowered in volume. I couldn't imagine my dad and I ever getting into a fight so bad that I felt the need to leave. And apparently this had happened to him often enough that keeping an extra outfit in his car became _habit_.

He stopped dead at the front door, his pained grimace making me wish I could take my words back. Sometimes I forgot that just because my dad was probably the best father in the world, some people weren't so lucky.

"Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to talk about still, so can I tell you about another time?" he asked quietly. "I promise I'm not trying to be rude, it's just a sore subject."

"No, of course," I replied, feeling like the world's biggest ass. "It's none of my business, it's just…." I trailed off, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable.

"Your dad seems like a really great guy," he said seriously. "A bit intimidating, but very protective of you. It's easy to see how much he loves you."

"Yeah," I said softly. "Sorry if he tried to scare you. That's just his papa-bear instincts coming out. He's really a big softy."

"Could've fooled me this morning when I woke up," he chuckled.

Oh crap. I was worried about my friends scaring him off last night. I didn't even think about my father doing the same thing this morning. Blaine must have noticed my horrified expression because he laughed before reassuring me that he was fine.

"It's a good thing I have excellent bladder control, or else I probably would have wet myself out of fear when I woke up to a big burly guy standing over me and staring. And considering how I was wrapped around you, you should be thankful, too." He rand a hand through his hair, embarrassed. "Sorry about that by the way. I probably should have warned you about that so you could've gone to your own bed."

I felt my own face heat. "I don't remember it really, but I'm sure I wouldn't have minded."

Our eyes met and held. I could feel an intensity building between us but I couldn't seem to break the gaze. The butterflies in my stomach were swirling again, but I ignored the sensation. My son was just a room away, and as much as I wanted to kiss Blaine in that moment, I didn't want my son to see that just yet. It would bring on a whole list of questions that I wasn't ready to deal with.

Blaine finally broke our staring contest. "I guess I'd better go get those clothes," he said softly, moving towards the door. I gave him an apologetic smile, hoping he would understand.

"Yeah," I said with false enthusiasm. "We have a performance to put together and only a few hours to do it. Dad will be back by three so we can have an early dinner before the fireworks tonight."

"Oh, I forgot it's the fourth!" Blaine's excited grin elicited a similar response in me. "I love fireworks!"

"Would you like to watch the display with us tonight?" I asked timidly. His excitement was infectious, but it also made me realize that the other man might already have plans. I fervently wished that he didn't.

"I would love to," he said, glancing at me from under his lashes. God those eyes were beautiful. "As long as you don't think I'd be intruding on your time with your family."

"Not at all," I assured him. "Carole is already in love with you, I can tell and Jude thinks you're awesome. Dad's just protective of me. I haven't had a lot of luck with dating over the years and he's probably just afraid you're going to break my heart or something." I waved my hand dismissively and stared at the floor. I was going to have to have a chat with my father about not terrifying my potential love interests. Wait, _love_? Why did that word pop into my head?

"Well, I certainly have no plans on doing that," he said quietly. "Yours is too good a heart to break."

My breath caught in my throat at the compliment. "You don't even really know me, Blaine. How can you think that about my heart?"

He looked at me, his eyes soft. "You wear your heart on my sleeve, Kurt. Just like it's easy to see how much your father cares for you, it's easy to see how much you care for everyone around you. Talking with you last night was one of the greatest experiences of my life. You're a good person. It's good to know there are really people like you in the world." His gaze dropped as he suddenly turned bashful. "I'm really glad I met you. Gladder that you decided I was worth giving me your number so I could get to know you better. I hope you'll let me know you." His voice was a mixture of sadness and hope. It tugged at my heartstrings.

"I-I'd like that," I whispered. I checked over my shoulder to see Jude and Carole in the midst of a conversation with their hands. Feeling brave, I rushed forward and planted a light kiss on Blaine's cheek.

The goofy grin that spread across his face made the butterflies do acrobatics in my stomach and I relished the feeling. I could feel a matching grin forming on my own face as he stepped out the door to his car.

My first date with this guy was going on thirteen hours and didn't look to be over for quite a while longer. This certainly wasn't normal dating procedure, but I didn't really care. I was ridiculously happy. I just hoped that the feeling would last.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I know I said I was going to wait 72 hours to post this but this would not leave my head until I wrote it out and I figured, hell, why wait. I guess I will go in and try to figure out how to delete that authors note in a couple of days but for now, here it is.**

By the time August rolled around, Blaine and I decided we were officially boyfriends. We'd gone on a few more dates by then, one was a traditional dinner-and-a-movie date, and once I went to watch one of his shows, but most of the others were more of Blaine tagging along while Jude and I did things which usually ended in Blaine treating us to ice cream or some other form of dessert.

"You're making my ass fat," I growled at him over a brownie sundae at McDonalds. Jude was playing on the slide so I didn't have to watch my language like usual.

He grinned at me and waggled his obnoxiously triangular eyebrows. "I happen to like your ass and if it _were_ to get any bigger that would not be a bad thing."

"Oh my god, you're a chubby-chaser!" I exclaimed, laughing. Blaine just rolled his eyes and fed me another bite of sundae. I would never tell him so but I really was enjoying it.

I peered over at the playplace to check on Jude again. He was being pulled around by the hand by a little girl with pigtails who was babbling a mile a minute. Even if he had been capable of speech I doubt he would have gotten a word in edgewise with that girl. Blaine noticed my gaze and looked over.

"Aw, look at that. Young love."

I nearly shot Diet Coke out my nose.

"What?" I sputtered, choking. I looked at Blaine with eyes that were nearly bugging out of my head. "Oh, no! My son is not in love of any form be it young, old, or puppy. He's only four, he doesn't like girls yet." My voice was coming out at a higher than normal pitch but I couldn't help it.

"Don't be so sure about that," Blaine chuckled, still looking over at the kids. I looked over to see what in the world he was talking about and right as I did, I saw it. My son was getting his first kiss. Sure it was on the cheek, but still. He was grinning like mad, his big blue eyes scrunching up and his cheeks darkening. The little floozy with the pigtails turned and ran and Jude watched for a minute before giving chase. I just gaped at them, my body frozen while my mind raced. If he was kissing girls this young, then it wouldn't be long before he had a girlfriend or maybe more than one. Then he would start kissing girls for _real_ and that would lead to other things _and he cannot end up a teen dad like me!_

Blaine's loud laughter finally distracted me from the horror that filled mind at that moment.

"This _so_ not funny, Blaine Anderson!" I cried. "This is a serious problem!"

My outburst only made him laugh harder. He was clutching his stomach and gasping for breath as I glared at him.

Jude ran over to our table, breathless, and began signing to me.

'Daddy guess what! I—'

He paused, glancing at Blaine who was still doubled over and wheezing with laughter.

'What's wrong with Blaine?'

"He's an idiot," I said dryly.

'That's not nice, Daddy! We don't call names!' Jude scolded me, frowning.

"You're right, Jude," I sighed. "I'm very sorry for calling you an idiot, Blaine. Do you forgive me?"

Blaine looked at me, his face red from his effort not to laugh, and nodded.

"Okay, Daddy's been forgiven, now what did you want to tell me?"

And with that, he launched into retelling what Blaine and I had already observed about the girl holding his hand and telling him he was cute and kissing him on the cheek. Twice. I guess in my panic I'd missed the second one.

Blaine tried to follow Jude's hand movements but I think he only understood about half of what was being said. He'd been working on his own to learn ASL since that first date and he was picking it quickly but he still got lost when Jude signed rapidly like that.

I smiled and nodded along as Jude told me all about the girl's pretty hair and smile and how he liked holding her hand—wait, _what_? When he told me she called him her boyfriend, I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming.

He finished his story and ran off to play some more, leaving me dumbstruck at the table with a slightly confused Blaine.

"Catch me up. I only caught the first bit of that before his little hands started to blur with speed," Blaine joked.

"He said she's his girlfriend," I muttered darkly.

"That's so sweet," Blaine cooed, his cheesy smile for once not making my heart skip a beat.

"No, it is not," I said vehemently. "My little boy is growing up."

I was being irrational. I knew this even before Blaine pointed it out to me. Jude and this girl, whose name I was pretty sure he didn't even know, had met by chance on a playground and would probably never see each other again.

"Excuse me, is that your son?" A woman's voice queried from behind me.

I turned to answer her, when I realized that she hadn't been speaking to me, but to Blaine. He stared at her, his mouth formed into a little 'O' of surprise. Before he could correct her, she continued.

"My little Suzie just seems smitten with him and I was wondering if you'd like to set up a play date." She smiled sweetly at Blaine who was finally seeming to get his wits about him.

"Oh, er, no. I mean, he's not mine. He's my boyfriend's son, actually," he said gesturing to me. I smiled at her and opened my mouth to tell her that I would gladly take her number to set up a play date (after I had an age-appropriate talk with Jude about girls) but she cut me off.

"Yes, well, never mind then," she said coldly. She walked swiftly away from us and gathered her things. She called to her daughter sharply and dragged her out of the restaurant.

I inhaled sharply, working to keep the tears that trying to form in my eyes from showing. I looked over at my son. He watched little Suzie leaving with her mother, a sad pout marring his beautiful face. He went back to the slide, but the enthusiasm he'd had previously was gone.

"Hey," Blaine said softly taking my hand. I stared at our interlocked fingers blankly. Did this really seem wrong to that woman? Was this so obscene that she didn't want her daughter exposed to it?

"I think it's time for us to go home," I stated dully. I stood, catching Jude's attention and he walked over to me slowly.

'Are we leaving?' he signed solemnly. I nodded and he obediently put his shoes back on.

"Kurt—" Blaine began, but I cut him off.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," I told him quietly. He nodded at me and scooped Jude up in his arms, talking to the boy with forced cheer. I was grateful for that, because I really didn't know if I could have pretended to be okay right then.

Blaine strapped Jude in his booster and set up the DVD player that my father had installed in the headrest for his birthday. When Jude was thoroughly entranced by Nemo, Blaine pulled me a few feet from the vehicle.

"Blaine, I told you, I really don't feel like having this conversation right now," I said with a sigh.

"I know, and while we don't have to talk about this now, we do need to discuss it soon," he said. He placed a finger under my chin and forced me to look him in the eyes. The fact that they were above mine made me realize just how much I was hunched into myself, seeing as he was shorter than me. "But I am going to follow you home. No, don't argue with me. You're upset and I just want to make sure you get home safe and sound. Just let me, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered. He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead and stepped over to his car, starting the engine and waiting for me to lead.

Jude was engrossed in his movie and didn't notice my silence on the drive home. The almost hour long drive from Bellfontaine gave me time to think about what had happened and what I was going to do about it.

I had dealt with homophobia in high school, but it hadn't bothered me too badly. Sure, the slushie facials sucked but I knew that I was better than those jackasses and didn't let it get to me. When I started my junior year started and I was only attending half-time, the bullying lessened considerably. The fact that I had 'made it' with Simone, whom every one of the football players had tried to charm at that party, also helped.

But I had never had it affect Jude. Sure, he didn't realize that I was the reason he'd lost his new friend, but I did, and I knew that it probably wouldn't be the last time it happened, either. So I had to decide how I was going to deal with this. Jude would be starting kindergarten in another year and even if it didn't start right away, eventually he would hear his daddy called some pretty nasty names. I needed to prepare him for it but I didn't know how.

I had just pulled into the drive when I realized what I needed to do. Blaine's car pulled up beside mine but I made no move to get out just yet, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. I was surprised when Carole appeared at my door. I rolled down my window and waited for her to speak.

"Unlock the door, Kurt. I'm gonna take Jude upstairs and give him his bath and get him ready for bed," she said with a sad smile. I raised an eyebrow at her, puzzled. "Blaine called me, honey. He said you were upset."

"Thank you," I whispered.

Blaine stayed in his own car until the front door shut behind my son and his grandmother. I reached over and opened the passenger door and he silently climbed inside. He opened his mouth to speak but I held up a finger to stop him, pulling my phone out instead. I scrolled through my contacts, unsure if the one I needed was even still in there. Then I found it. Rachel Berry, Home.

It took only two rings and then, "Berry residence, Leroy here."

I took a deep breath before speaking.

"Mr. Berry? It's Kurt Hummel. Would it be possible for me to come over to speak with you?"

My conversation with one of Rachel's two dads only took a few minutes, concluding with plans for lunch with him and his partner the following day. Blaine waited patiently until I was done, though he looked puzzled. When I ended the call I turned to face him and explain.

"A classmate of mine from high school has two gay fathers," I said for a start. His confusion cleared and I kept going. "I want to talk with Leroy and Hiram about how they dealt with homophobia directed at Rachel because of her parentage. I've never had anything like that happen before and I know it's only going to get worse." I took a shaky breath, wiping my overly wet eyes. "I have no clue what I'm supposed to do right now so I'm just looking for some advice."

"Okay," Blaine nodded. He swallowed a couple of times before finishing, his Adams apple bobbing up and down. "Kurt, I want to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me and with yourself. Don't worry about how I might react or that you'll hurt my feelings because this is important. You know I care about you a whole hell of a lot and I care about Jude so very, very much, and your answer to my question will not change either of those things. Do you think it would be better for you and Jude if I wasn't in your lives right now?"

I stared at the dash while he spoke and didn't look at him when he finished. For a short moment I thought he was breaking up with me, and then I realized he was giving _me_ the choice. He cared about me, about us, and he cared about my son, but he was willing to let us go if I thought Jude and I would be better off without him. The fact that he would willingly do that, just to protect a child that wasn't even his, spoke volumes to me. This guy wasn't messing around.

"Blaine, I think it might be easier if we weren't together," I said with my gaze still focused on the wood grain in front of me. I heard his sharp intake of breath and turned to look at him. He was heartbroken. I could tell even though he was trying not to show it. I waited until he met my eyes before continuing. "Easier, but not better. You make me so happy, Blaine and I know that we've only known each other for a little over a month but I am already more attached to you than I'm willing to admit out loud." He smiled softly at that, but I wasn't finished. "Jude's gonna face a lot of shit growing up. He's mute and he has a gay father and no mother. He is going to get picked on for those reasons and any other number of things just because."

I lowered my eyes from his feeling suddenly shy. My hand inched forward on the console and he immediately grabbed it in his, squeezing tightly. The next words I had planned were big, and Blaine's response would probably determine whether or not we would stay together for more than just the summer.

"As much as it might be easier without you, I think having you with us for support might make it easier, too. If we were in this together, if we had one another to lean on and cry to and be understanding for one another. I know you're only twenty, Blaine, but I need someone who is committed to me and to Jude. I don't want to ask you for something you're not ready for, so I need _you_ to make a choice now. Are you in this for the long haul? Because if you're not I need to know before Jude gets any more attached to you. Before I fall any harder for you."

There it was, my heart laid bare. I'd never shown anyone this much vulnerability before and I was terrified, but I knew it had to be done. I wasn't going to let some guy half-ass it with my kid. He didn't need anybody else to hurt him. There would be enough people willing to do that later on in his life.

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, his voice choked. I looked up to see tears in his eyes, one freeing itself and sliding down his cheek. I quickly swiped it with my thumb and he caught my hand where it was pressed against his cheek, holding it captive there. "Kurt, I want to be a part of yours and Jude's world for as long as you'll have me. I love both of you so much it scares me. I will be here for you until you turn me away."

"Well," I sniffed, my own eyes watering, "don't hold your breath on that." I shot him my trademarked smirk, even if it was a bit shaky, but it got him to laugh. That was what I was going for. "I love you, too."

We both laughed then, for the sheer joy of laughing. It was a release from all the tension of the day and also a celebration of our love for each other. It was crazy and it was too soon but it felt so right and real and glorious. I didn't care that we probably shouldn't have said it yet. It was true. As impossible as it might seem, I, Kurt Hummel was in love and, as luck would have it, Blaine loved me back.

For that short space of time, life was wonderful. Maybe it would stay that way for a while.


	18. Chapter 18

Finn moved back home at the end of September. He and Puck had finished out their programs at Edison back in May, Puck in Auto Collision Repair and Finn in Auto Technology. Dad had been working on getting an addition built onto the shop for them to do body work in. If they stuck with it for a year and proved themselves, Dad would let them buy in a part ownership which would eventually turn into a 50/50 partnership between the two when he retired.

Finn had already known that one day Dad planned on turning the shop over to him, so while he was happy when the three of them sat down and discussed the arrangement, he wasn't overly excited. Puck on the other hand was over the moon. His father had left when he was young, and ever since our unlikely friendship had developed, he had told me how much he admired my father. I guess he never expected anyone to take a chance on him, so when Dad started talking about how the shop would be half his one day, Puck teared up.

"Dude, are you crying?" Finn exclaimed. This earned him a wet-eyed glare from Puck and a smack on the back of the head from Dad. "Hey!"

"Shut up, Finn," I snapped. "Don't try to give me any of that 'dudes don't cry' crap because I watched Charlie St. Cloud with you, I've seen your snot-filled waterworks for myself."

Puck snickered at that and Finn looked outraged. "Dude! That was a bonding moment for us! That's sacred knowledge." He huffed and crossed his arms. "Besides you cried, too."

"Of course I did, Finn, that movie was tragic. My point is, don't make fun of Puck for having emotions when you have them, too."

"I wasn't making fun," he grumbled. "I was just surprised is all." He turned to Puck, who was still glaring, but seemed to have himself under control. "We still bros, man?"

"Yeah, Dude," Puck said as they bumped fists. "But next time you get a beatdown."

"Yeah, whatever," Finn laughed. Then, like they had gone back in time and were twelve years old again, they started thumb wrestling. This of course led to an all-out in the floor grappling match in the middle of the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and walked away. Boys.

I was just about to wake Jude from his nap when my phone buzzed in my pocket. One new message from Blaine.

_**From Blaine**_:

_**Hey! Since Jude is staying with puck n lauren this weeknd do u want 2 stay w me at my dorm fri nite?**_

This stopped me in my tracks. My mind began to overanalyze every word of the message. Why did Blaine want me to stay overnight with him? What would he expect if I said yes? We'd been dating for a couple months now and hadn't made it past the makeout stage. Granted, most of our time spent together also involved a four-year-old and I wasn't comfortable giving Blaine more than a closed mouth kiss in front of my son, but on the few occasions we were alone, our kisses would grow heated and desperate. Hands had roamed but always stayed above clothing and we always stopped before things got, erm, messy.

Was this his way of saying he wanted to go further? I knew most college kids had no qualms about sex, but I wasn't most college kids. I was completely inexperienced with the physical side of relationships, my one sexual experience being (thankfully) too blurry to really remember.

To say I was nervous about having sex with Blaine was like saying the Great Lakes were puddles.

But I knew that he was more experienced than me and I was the one holding things back. I was afraid if I didn't let things progress he would get frustrated and leave. A tiny voice in my head told me that that line of thinking was ridiculous, that Blaine loved me and would wait for me to be ready, but I was still horribly insecure.

My fingers were shaking and it took me three tries to successfully type out a reply that sounded much more confident than I felt.

_**From Kurt:**_

_**Sounds great! See you here at 6 Friday.**_

It was decided. I was just going to do it. I mean, people did it all the time, right? No big deal.

By the time Friday arrived I was wound tight with nerves. I knew the mechanics of gay sex and to be perfectly honest, it didn't sound that great. I really wasn't looking forward to the pain that every piece of information I'd scoured had said would be involved, at least at first. It was supposed to be very pleasurable once the initial pain had passed, but I really just couldn't imagine how. But I was a gay man in love with another gay man and this is what gay men did.

The doorbell sounded and I raced down the stairs to answer it. He was early which normally would have made me happy, but today it just bugged me. It wasn't his fault, but I couldn't help how I was feeling.

Blaine's smiling face greeted me and he leaned in for a kiss. I was too agitated to give him more than a quick peck, but he didn't seem to notice my preoccupation.

I shut the door behind him and noticed the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Are those for me?" I asked him slowly. I was flattered, but flowers? I wasn't a girl. Oh god, was this some sign that I was the girl in our relationship? I'd always hated it when people referred to one member of a same-sex relationship as "the girl" and the other as "the guy". Was this how Blaine saw me?

"No," he said with a nervous laugh. "They are for Carole. I just wanted to show her my appreciation for inviting me to dinner tonight."

"I invited you," I reminded him. "Last week."

He laughed again, louder this time. "'Yes, but she didn't know that and she called me yesterday to tell me that she was making lasagna and expected me here at six sharp!"

I forgot my nerves for a moment and just reveled in the fact that my family loved Blaine, too. Not as much as me, surely, because that would be a little strange, but enough that my stepmother went out of her way to make sure and invite Blaine to dinner because she knew he thought her lasagna was heavenly.

Dinner was eventful, to put it mildly. With Finn bringing his girlfriend to dinner also, the table was crowded. Elbows were bumped and occasionally a glass would get nudged causing liquid to slosh over the side. The real fun began when both Blaine and Finn reached for the last slice of lasagna at the same time. Blaine, ever the polite one, retracted his hand almost immediately and Finn grinned triumphantly. Before he could claim his prize, Carole slapped his hand and told him he should be more polite because Blaine was company. He pouted for a minute until Blaine spoke up, saying that they could share it. Some good natured arguing ensued about whose half was bigger but eventually everyone was finished and the dishes were cleared. When Blaine stood and began helping Finn load the dishwasher, Finn turned to me.

"Dude, your boyfriend is pretty cool. Anybody who'll willingly share the last piece of Mom's lasagna with me automatically makes my list of awesomeness."

I couldn't help but laugh at how serious he was when he stated this.

"Hey, I thought I was already on that list for saving you from that feral cat," Blaine joked, nudging Finn with his shoulder as he rinsed a plate. The blow landed on Finn's bicep. The height difference between the two was almost comical when they stood next to one another like that.

"That cat was cute and fluffy," Finn protested.

"That cat had mange and was carrying a dead possum in it's mouth," I snorted. "In the state you were in, it would have taken you down in no time flat." Blaine grinned at Finn's look of disbelief.

"Whatever, dudes. Okay, that's done. Now, I gotta go distract Mom before she starts showing Jessica my baby pictures or something even more embarrassing."

I watched as Blaine dried his hands on a dishtowel and suddenly my nervousness was back with a vengeance. He smiled at me and I flashed him a small smile in return. He reached for hand and I prayed that my palms were still dry. If not I would blame it on the rag I used to wipe down the table.

"You ready for the rest of our date?" He asked me shyly. He had refused to tell me where we were going after dinner, saying he wanted to surprise me.

"Sure," I managed to choke out without him noticing that I was about to pass out from, well, I guess you could call it stage fright. I mean, it seemed like an appropriate enough term. In a sense I would be performing. I'd spent my teenage years doing musical theatre and the like so those kinds of analogies were second nature to me.

Blaine grabbed my hand, interrupting my inner monologue, and pulled me into the living room so we could say our goodbyes. I felt like a grade-schooler going on his first sleepover when I kissed my father goodbye and hefted my duffel bag.

In the confines of Blaine's car I felt suddenly claustrophobic. I'd never had a problem with this sort of thing before, which was good considering all the dumpster tosses I'd experienced my freshman and sophomore years of high school, but now the air felt stale and I couldn't wait for him to start the engine so I could roll down my window.

We drove in silence for the most part, me being too nervous about where tonight would lead and Blaine paying close attention to the crazy traffic. I had learned early on that when Blaine drove, he zoned in on the road. Any attempt at conversation was met with clipped, one word replies. I'd been offended the first time it happened, but he explained to me that he'd been in an accident when he was sixteen because he and his friends were goofing around. Luckily, no one was injured but from that day on he took driving way more seriously.

We pulled into the student lot at the OSU campus and I jumped out of the car as soon as we were stopped. Blaine eyed me curiously but I just smiled and took a deep breath. He may have been unaware of the tension in the car but I was about to choke.

I started to trek to the dorms but Blaine's hand on my wrist stopped me short.

"Where are you going?" he chuckled lightly, eyebrows raised.

"I, uh, I thought we were going to your dorm?" I said feeling confused.

"Well, did you want to see the rest of our date?" He teased, his hazel eyes dancing. I couldn't help but grin at the barely contained excitement in his voice. I had no idea what we were going to be doing but apparently Blaine thought it was pretty darn cool.

I nodded and he began pulling me in the opposite direction, telling me to hurry or we wouldn't get a good spot. My confusion increased tenfold when I saw that we were heading towards the campus baseball field.

"Here we go!" He said merrily. I looked around at the mostly empty field. The spotlights that were usually lit for night games were off, with only a few sodium vapor lamps to cast an orange glow over the small groups of people spread out over the dirt and grass. I could see that a lot of the occupants were couples making out. One set in particular were getting into pretty heavily.

"Blaine, if this is some kind of back to nature orgy, you can count me out," I said crossing my arms over my chest.

He threw his head back and laughed loudly, earning some disapproving glances from those present. I waited for him to finish laughing before going on.

"Seriously, why the hell did you drag me out here?" I asked, irritated. I didn't like being laughed at, and my mood was already touchy.

"On our first date, you took me to a fireworks show," he said simply. I nodded. "I wanted to show you something just as cool, but I didn't want to wait a whole year, so when I heard about this I knew I what I wanted to do."

I was still waiting for an explanation as to why I was shivering on a sports field in the dark with a bunch of other people. He stared at me, smiling like I should be just as excited as him, and when he saw that I wasn't his smile drooped.

"I thought you would like this," he said glumly.

"Blaine, you still haven't told me what _this_ is," I said, my tone softening at his kicked-puppy look.

"Oh! It's a meteor shower. Have you ever seen one?"

When I shook my head, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down onto a blanket that I hadn't yet noticed was there. He must have set it up while I was inspecting our surroundings. Hell, in my nervousness I hadn't even noticed he was carrying a blanket. I really needed to pay more attention to the world around me.

He settled himself leaning back on his palms and I chose that moment to be bold. Rather than sitting next to him, I crawled over and set myself between his legs, leaning back into his chest. I felt his breath shudder against my neck as he wrapped one arm around me and took my hand.

"I love you," he whispered against my hair. I smiled, a warm feeling spreading throughout my chest at the words. It wasn't the first time he'd said it, but it wasn't something we were throwing around casually either. It was still fairly new to us and each time the phrase was uttered it sent my resident butterflies into a frenzy.

I pulled the hand that was holding mine to my lips, pressing a soft kiss to each knuckle. He gasped quietly at the contact.

"Love you, too," I murmured. I was content to stay in that moment but soon enough there were squeals of excitement from all around us. I looked up to see that the shower had begun.

We were both transfixed by the amazing lightshow above us and when it ended I couldn't help but feel a little disappointment. I glanced at my phone for the time and was shocked when it read ten-thirty. We'd been out there for two hours but it had seemed like only a few minutes.

I stood up slowly, my limbs stiff from sitting so still so long. I held my hand out to help Blaine up. He pulled himself to his feet but didn't release my hand, instead pulling me into his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his neck. He shivered, tightening his grip on me, which I gladly welcomed. I loved how he held me.

"Tired?" he asked quietly.

I felt the butterflies swoop. "Yes," I whispered. I was afraid to speak any louder, in case my voice cracked. He pressed his lips to my temple and pulled away from me. I stepped off the blanket and helped him fold it, him carrying it and me my bag.

We passed a few people that Blaine knew on the way to his dorm. He was a pretty popular guy and it wasn't hard to tell which of these people—guys and girls—were merely being friendly and which ones were checking him out. I didn't blame them. He really was gorgeous, which didn't help with my own insecurity. He didn't seem to notice the attention, oblivious as he was.

We reached his door and I began to sweat. Not a little oh-it's-a-bit-warm-in-here type sweat, full on in-a-sauna sweat. It was disgusting. As soon as the door swung open I excused myself to the bathroom within.

I stared at myself in the small mirror opposite the shower. My eyes were wide and glassy, my face pale with two bright red spots high on my cheekbones. I was a mess. I had to calm myself down or I would never be able to do this.

I splashed my face with cold water and hastily checked myself over. I was a little better, but I still worried about what Blaine would think of me.

When I retreated from the tiny room, Blaine was lighting candles. My butterflies were now the size of Mothara, beating against my insides as if trying to escape.

"Hey," I said shyly. He turned around, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm not very good at this whole romance thing, but I thought—"

"Stop," I said quietly. I crossed small room in two strides and I was there in front of him. "It's very romantic and the meteor shower was absolutely wonderful." If it had been anyone other than Blaine, I'm pretty sure I would have run right then. But I loved him.

"Really?" he asked tentatively, his arms snaking around my waist. I looked at him, somehow managing to keep my gaze steady.

"Really," I replied. He smiled broader then. "Now, how are we doing this?" I blurted out.

"Huh?"

"How are we going to do this? I mean, what, uh, who does which, um—"

"Kurt," he interrupted me, eyes narrowed. Shit. Maybe I wasn't supposed to bring that up. Maybe I should have just let him lead and just gone with whatever he wanted.

"Kurt, did you think I asked you to stay with me so we could have sex?"

I nodded slowly, staring at my shoes. I imagined I could count each thread in my Converse sneakers. Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

"I don't want to have sex with you," he said quietly. My head snapped up and I didn't even try to hide the hurt on my face. His eyes widened and he began to backpedal immediately.

"No, no, no, what I mean is I don't want to have sex with you _tonight_," he said in a rush. It didn't have the desired effect of making me happy, my eyes were glued to a spot behind Blaine's head, and he quickly continued. "I want to, don't get me wrong, just not right now."

I was starting to feel a little better about the situation but I still wouldn't look at him.

"Kurt, I love you, but I'm not ready to take that step with you yet." He sighed and chewed his lip.

I met his gaze then as I processed what he'd said. _He_ wasn't ready. _He_ was the reason we hadn't gone any farther, not me and my half-virgin inhibitions.

I let out the breath I'd been holding in a rush. I was so relieved.

"I hope you're not disappointed, but I—"

I cut him off with a kiss. Maybe not the best thing to do when your boyfriend is telling you he wants to take things slow, but I couldn't help myself. I wasn't offended when he pushed me back and looked at me like I was crazy for grinning.

"Kurt, I meant what I said. I'm not playing coy."

"I know," I assured him. "I'm not trying to seduce you. I wouldn't know how, really. I'm just happy that you said what I didn't have the courage to say."

He just looked at me in confusion, his mouth working for a moment before he formed words. "But, you were asking, I mean, I thought you wanted to."

"I thought _you_ wanted to, but I don't really know what I'm doing, so I was nervous, so I thought I should ask, and then maybe I wouldn't be so nervous, but then I thought I was talking too much, but I'm really talking too much now, so I'll shut up." I was out of breath by the time I'd finished rambling. He just blinked at me.

"You're a virgin and you thought I wanted sex so you were just going to do it?" He shook his head and pulled away from me. "Kurt, I can't believe you would think I'd pressure you into something like that."

"I didn't think you were pressuring me, not at all," I scrambled to explain before I ruined everything, "I want to be with you, but I'm scared because I've never done this before. Any of this. I've never even gone on a second date! But you make me feel so wonderful and I am so in love with you that I want to be able to be with you always and be with you in all the ways I can. I thought that this was what you wanted and I thought about it and I want it, too, because I love you. But I never meant to make _you_ feel pressured or like I was pushing because I want this to be special. For both of us. I'm sorry."

I reached out to him and he slowly stepped back into my embrace. I pressed my forehead to his, grateful that he wasn't mad at me, and grateful that Blaine was so honest about what he did and didn't want.

"I really love you, you know?" Blaine said, swaying us to some rhythm in his head. I followed along, content to let him lead. He knew what he was doing.

"I know," I stated cheekily. Now that my nerves were gone I was feeling the excitement of the date again, just happy to be with him.

"I just don't want to rush anything with you. We have our whole lives to discover each other, we can take our time." His words ran like fire through me, stirring in me, but different than before. He spoke about us, implied that we would be together our _whole_ _lives_. My forever was holding me in his arms and I would give him all of myself. But not that night, not until we were _both_ ready and he was right about having plenty of time.

I had found the man of my dreams and I didn't plan on letting him go, ever.

**Line—Break—Issues—Once—Again! **

**AN: I hope I didn't disappoint anyone but I don't write smut. I have no problem with it but as I don't know much about a man's point of view on sex, I don't feel like I could properly write sex from Kurt's perspective. **


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: There is a one-shot on my profile page that is set between the last chapter and this one, Shot Glasses and Confessions. Check it out if you want.**

OoOoOoOoOoOo

For all that I was not your 'typical' boy when I was four years old—I think the request for a pair of heels along with the hot pink streamers on my tricycle showed that much—my son was. He loved getting dirty and playing rough. He loved Tonka trucks and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So when he told me that he wanted to be Leonardo for Halloween, I wasn't surprised. I was, however, determined to make his costume for him rather than buying him something off the rack. Just, no.

And of course, being the awesome father and uncles that Finn, Puck, and I were, we decided to dress to match. Finn would be Michelangelo, Puck would be Donatello, and I would be Raphael complete with real sai swords.

"This is going to be epic!" Puck hooted as we all put the finishing touches on our costumes and makeup. I had to admit, we really looked the part. Taking into consideration the fact that one member of our quartet was only four feet tall, we were still pretty convincing.

Jude was running around in his costume swinging his Nerf sword with an enthusiasm that was readily matched by Finn with his foam nun chucks.

I laughed quietly to myself, shaking my head. "How much candy have you two had already?"

Finn stopped in mid-swing and plastered his best innocent face on which I easily saw right through. "I have no idea what you're talking about, bro." He widened his eyes comically as Jude bashed him repeatedly with his sword. "Jude! Calm down! Stop the turtle-on-turtle violence!"

Jude stopped, dropping his sword and held his hands up in surrender. Finn grinned down at him and put his fist out for a knuckle bump. He must have missed the gleam in Jude's eyes, but I saw it and knew what was coming before it happened.

With an evil smile Jude leapt onto Finn's chest, effectively knocking the jolly green giant—how fitting that nickname was at the moment—to the ground with a thud that shook the picture frames on the wall.

"Okay! Okay! Ahh!" Finn cried, laughing as he was pummeled by tiny fists. The mock punches soon turned to tickles and Finn had tears rolling down his face as he giggled like a schoolgirl. "I give! I give! UNCLE!"

Jude pumped his fist in the air in victory as Puck and I doubled over in laughter.

"Dude, you just got your ass kicked by a preschooler!"

"Language, Noah," Carole chastised from the kitchen. "And don't even think about eating any more of that candy. It's for the trick or treaters and you boys have already finished one whole bowl." She eyed Finn sternly who once again tried for the innocent face.

"Just give it up Finn; I know you and Jude got into it. You're giggling like mad and he's running around like a monkey on crack," I chuckled.

'I'm not a monkey! I'm a turtle!' Jude signed to me, hopping up off Finn's chest and proceeding to whistle the TMNT theme song and dancing.

"Yes you are," I said patiently. I could tell that the sugar high wasn't wearing off anytime soon, but when it did, he would crash like an out of control semi-truck.

"C'mon you guys, let's get to it before all the good candy's gone," Puck said as he readjusted his eye mask. He'd gone all out for this, shaving his mohawk so that he could paint his entire head green. Finn and I stuck with painting our faces and using colored gel to slick back our hair. Jude had wanted to shave his head _'Just like Uncle Puck'_ but I refused. Those curls were precious and I would not let them go just so he could look more authentic. It took me three stores to find a TMNT mask and I'd had to paint the eye mask blue instead of red but he was happy with it, and I didn't have to worry about hiding the scissors from him.

We were fortunate that my neighborhood was pretty kid friendly. We hadn't even made it three blocks before Jude's candy sack was half full. I was the only one in our group who wasn't carrying a treat bag and I couldn't believe that Finn and Puck had actually gotten candy from most of the houses we'd visited. People would open their doors and exclaim about our wonderful group costumes and weren't we just the sweetest things then smile indulgently when the two grown men held their bags out.

Finn was digging in his bag in search of something to snack on while we walked and I smacked his hand.

He looked at me with wounded eyes. "What?"

"You don't eat candy from strangers until it's been checked, Finn!" I answered huffily.

"Dude! We've known our neighbors for years. The only one I wouldn't trust is old Mrs. Freeman and she gave us toothbrushes. How lame is that?"

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter. It's a good habit to have for when Jude gets older and does this on his own. Don't set a bad example."

"Fine," he pouted, dropping back into his bag.

Two houses later and Puck stopped going to the doors, claiming he'd gotten enough candy to make Lauren happy. I stayed on the sidewalk with him and let Finn accompany Jude to the various porches and stoops, both of them still wound up tight.

Thirty minutes later, Finn was complaining about his feet and Jude was visibly drooping.

"You ready to go home, bud?" I asked to which he vehemently shook his head. He'd abandoned his mask halfway through the night and I could see how tired his eyes were despite his protests. I scooped him up in my arms and he immediately snuggled into my shoulder.

"Alright," I relented. "But just one more block and then we're heading home. He nodded sleepily to me as I carried him up the next house.

"Trick or Treat!" I said in greeting to the woman who answered the bell. She started to say something then laughed. I glanced at Jude, expecting him to hold out his bag, but he was fast asleep, his tiny fingers curled around the handles in a death grip.

"Oh! You two are just adorable! It looks like he's tuckered himself out though." She smiled warmly at us and I couldn't help smiling in return.

"Yeah, I guess so. He was awake not two minutes ago, claiming he wasn't tired at all."

"Well, at least he's got his big brother to take care of him," she said.

I cringed a bit internally as I corrected her assumption. "Actually, he's my son."

"Oh," she replied, surprised. I waited for the look of disapproval. He looked older than he was, being tall for his age and I could still pass for a high-schooler. Instead she just smiled wider. "Well, I think it's wonderful that he's getting to spend quality time with his daddy. And I think it's sweet that you dressed to match him. I've not seen a lot of fathers tonight and you're the first I've seen that dressed up."

"He's my world," I stated truthfully. "His uncles dressed up, too." I pointed to the other turtles waiting on the sidewalk. The woman just laughed softly and shook her head.

"He's certainly a lucky boy to have such a caring family." She grabbed a handful of candy and eased it into Jude's bag, careful not to pull it from his grip. "You boys have a nice night."

"Thank you." I gave her one last smile and left the porch. "Time to head home and get this one into bed."

Puck and Finn both nodded, grinning at the sleeping boy in my arms. I was glad we were less than a mile from home. Jude was a skinny thing but he was tall and surprisingly heavy as dead weight. We were almost home when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I tried unsuccessfully to maneuver Jude so I could reach my pocket.

"Give him here, Hummel. I know your arms gotta be killing you," Puck said as he took Jude from me. He was right about my arms; they felt like they were made of cheese. I rotated my shoulders in an attempt to get some feeling back before looking at my phone.

_**From Blaine:**_

_**Hey babe. Wont make it 4 movie tonite. Call u tomorrow. Sorry. Luv u **_

I frowned as I read the message. Blaine's band was playing a gig at a frat house and we'd made plans to watch cheesy horror movies after he finished. I had set up the first Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and House of Wax on my Netflix list and bought a movie-style microwavable popcorn tub. Maybe the gig was running longer than planned and he didn't want to drive so late. I just hoped he hadn't been drinking. He really couldn't handle his alcohol and I worried about him getting drunk at a party by himself. Or worse, in a party full of college boys.

It wasn't that I didn't trust him; I just still had a problem with my own insecurity.

I texted him back telling him to have fun, be safe and that I loved him more. I waited for the usual response of 'no, I love you more' that had become a game between us, only ending after six or seven texts, but it never came. I shrugged it off, he must have been between sets when he sent it and was now probably busy serenading the drunken masses.

I got Jude tucked into his bed with Puck's assistance. The boy never even twitched. The crash had come and I just hoped he didn't have a stomach ache in the morning.

Puck and Finn both let me help them remove their green face paint before Puck left with his candy, gloating over his haul. I shook my head in amusement as I locked the deadbolt on the front door.

"Isn't Blaine coming over tonight?" Finn asked as I turned out the porch light. Carole and Dad were already in bed, the last trick-or-treaters long since gone.

"No, he texted me canceling. It's no big deal," I told him, hoping my disappointment wasn't evident in my voice. He frowned at me. Damn, I really needed to work on keeping my emotions in better check.

"Well, we were just gonna watch some bad horror flicks in honor of the holiday. You interested?"

"Sure," Finn replied, grinning. Then he broke out the puppy eyes. "Will you make us some popcorn and warm milk?"

I chewed my lip, pretending to debate before giving him an answering grin. "You set up the TV; I'll fix the snacks, though I'm not sure how you can still be hungry. You practically ate your body weight in chocolate and caramel."

"Did not!" He cried as the red Netflix screen loaded. "Maybe half my weight."

"You are going to get fat one of these days, Finn. Your metabolism is going to slow down and all these years of overeating are going to catch up to you."

"Nah, man. It'll never happen," he said munching another fun sized Twix bar. The end table next to him was already littered with wrappers and I just shook my head in disgust.

"You're cleaning that up before you go to bed."

"Yeah, sure thing."

Of course, he fell asleep midway through the first Freddy Krueger movie and I cleaned up the mess of wrappers and popcorn that littered all surfaces surrounding him. I knew I could never hope to carry him up to his room so I just covered him with the afghan from the back of the couch and headed to my own bed. I checked on Jude before settling under my blankets, placing my phone next to my pillow in case Blaine decided to text me back.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jude's hair was sleep rumpled and sticking in every direction when he entered the kitchen the next morning. His usual enthusiasm for breakfast wasn't present and as I'd feared he complained about his tummy.

"I warned you about eating so much candy. And don't think I didn't see you and Uncle Finn sneaking pieces while we were out last night," I scolded lightly. The boy looked up at me with a mixture of guilt and pain from his abused stomach and it broke my heart.

"I guess you learned your lesson on that though," I sighed. I took the Children's Pepto from the counter and measured out a dose, sliding it across the counter to him. "It'll make your tummy ache go away and then I'll fix you some oatmeal." He smiled at me and threw it back like a shot, grimacing at the taste.

Finn stumbled into the kitchen then, his hair almost as wild as Jude's an arm clutched across his own stomach. I frowned at him.

"Don't tell me you have an upset stomach, too."

"No way," he retorted, yawning loudly. "Just hungry." His sleepy smile stretched across his face and he ruffled Jude's hair affectionately. Jude glared at him in annoyance. We may have had a lot of differences but he had inherited some of my personality quirks.

"Good god, you're like a garbage disposal."

He stuck his tongue out at me before shoving half a pop-tart into his mouth. "So, me and Jess want to take Jude to her niece's birthday party, is that cool?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Finn," I reprimanded him. "And when would this party be?"

Thankfully, Finn swallowed before speaking again. "Today at one."

"Finn! That is only a few hours away. How am I supposed to get a gift for this girl on such short notice?"

"No, you're not supposed to get a gift. Jess's brother and his girlfriend are like, hippies or something and they don't believe in materialision or whatever."

"Materialism," I corrected absently.

"Yeah, that. They just want Lilly to have some friends over to hang out and play games. And they said they're serving organic hummus and whole wheat crackers with tofu cheesecake for dessert. I figured that sounded healthy enough that you'd be okay with it." Finn looked revolted at the thought of such foods being served at a party for kids but I thought it was a great way to introduce children to a healthier alternative diet.

"Okay, fine. But if you smell patchouli get my kid out of there."

"Pa-what?"

"I'm kidding, Finn." I rolled my eyes at him. "But seriously, if Jessica's hippie brother or his girlfriend light up a doobie in front of Jude I will hold you personally responsible."

Finn snickered. "I can't believe you just said 'doobie'."

I just rolled my eyes and started making Jude's oatmeal.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Jessica rang the bell before letting herself in just over an hour later. I was glad she and Finn were already close enough that she didn't feel the need to wait when she knew the door was unlocked. They hadn't been dating for too long before I'd realized that Finn was more than just smitten with this girl and that she was damn near perfect for him, too. She didn't judge Finn for wanting to stay in our small town and work in the garage. She believed in the importance of family and didn't want to pull Finn away from his. Hell, she spent as much time with Carole as she did with Finn, sometimes shopping or cooking or even just chatting about their days. She was a year ahead of Finn in school and well on her way to becoming a teacher and already had a job offer waiting for her at one of the elementary schools just outside of Lima. She was planning on staying in Ohio and it looked like Finn may have found someone to start a life with. I wished them the best, even if they hadn't come to that decision just yet.

After they left I decided to drive over to Blaine's dorm and surprise him with coffee and breakfast. Late night gigs tended to wear him out and I missed him even if it had only been a few days since we'd seen one another.

A few people greeted me in the hallway of the dorm building and I smiled back, unsure of some of their names but happy that they seemed to remember me. I'd been to Blaine's dorm a few times in the last month and so far everyone had been really nice and accepting of us as a couple. It was refreshing to have someone not look at you like dirt when you were holding another boy's hand.

I used the key that Blaine had given me when his roommate had dropped out two weeks ago and let myself in. I shut the door quietly in case he was still sleeping, but froze at the sight before me.

There he was, the love of my life, asleep, but not alone. He was wrapped around another man, a man whose brown hair was tousled and whose vibrant blue eyes cracked open as I stared.

"I thought Blaine's roommate dropped out." He stated in a sleep-thickened voice. My mouth was dry and I couldn't move. We stared at each other for a few more minutes before he broke his gaze from mine and peered at Blaine with a tender smile. I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces and it took everything I had not to cry.

"Wake up, Blainers," Blue-eyes said playfully, nudging Blaine with his shoulder. "You got company."

"No, don't bother. I'll just go and leave you two to whatever it is you were doing before I interrupted." I could hear the lack of emotion in my own voice even though I was screaming on the inside. There were many things I wanted to say but I was running on autopilot, just going through the motions while my mind alternated from trying to come up with valid excuses for what I was seeing to meticulously planning the complete removal of Blaine from my life.

I turned to leave, setting the pastry bag and both coffees on the table by the door. I didn't think I could stomach either item right then.

"Yo, octopus-arms! Get the hell off me," I heard the nameless man grumble. Blaine's sleepy grunt answered him and as I was shutting door I heard a thump that I assumed was Blaine hitting the floor. The bed was barely big enough for one, as I well knew.

No one tried to talk to me on my way back to the parking lot. Either that or I just didn't notice; which was a distinct possibility. I was concentrating so hard on not breaking down that aliens could have landed in front of me with an intergalactic peace treaty ready for me to sign and I would have just smiled and nodded and politely moved past.

I don't know how long I sat in my car just crying. It felt like forever. I don't think it was actually more than ten minutes really, but I'm pretty sure time stops when you're in that much pain. The law of relativity I believe it's called. You know, 'time flies when you're having fun'? Well the opposite is true, too. Time slows to a crawl when you're miserable, so that you can fully experience each horrible second.

Again, I was in a daze and I'm not sure how long it was going on before I noticed, but the sound of someone knocking frantically on my window glass suddenly invaded my brain. I turned slowly, my vision blurred with tears, but I was still able to make out the wildly curly hair and wide hazel eyes on the other side of the glass.

I rolled the window down, but stayed silent. I didn't trust myself to speak.

"Kurt, I don't know what Cooper said to you, but, please, don't leave." His confused expression just pissed me off.

"So he has a name? That's good, then. At least you know that much," I said scathingly. I knew it was a low blow, throwing his past in his face like that, but I wanted him to feel at least a little of the pain I was feeling.

I could tell that it worked. He flinched back from me, his own eyes welling up. At least I wouldn't be the only one crying today.

"I can't believe you would say that to me," he whispered. A single tear made its way down his cheek.

"I can't believe I trusted you with my heart and then found you in bed with another guy," I snapped back. His tears were falling freely now and as much as I wanted to see that as a victory, I couldn't help but hurt even more, knowing that I'd done that to him. I still loved him, even if he had broken my heart.

"Kurt," he pleaded. "Kurt, please just look at me."

_One last time, before you leave him forever. You get one last look, so you better make it good._

I met his gaze, holding his wet-eyed stare, knowing my own eyes were just as glassy and red.

"What, Blaine?" I meant it to come out harsh, full of the sass and bite I had been famous for in high school. Instead, it sounded woefully tired and defeated even to my own ears.

"He's my brother."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**AN: Okay so once again, sorry for taking so long to update this. I've been in a bit of a funk and had a hard time getting out of it. The second half of this will be posted within the next few days I promise. And again, shameless self-promotion but if you are interested there is a one-shot titled Shot Glasses and Confessions that is set after chapter 18 done in Blaine's POV on my profile page. It gives a little more background on Blaine and while not completely necessary to understand everything in here it does clarify a few things a bit. I may one day go back in and integrate the Blaine POV stories into this story but then again I still have trouble navigating the publishing functions from time to time here so I guess we'll just see where life takes us…Later**


	20. Chapter 20

"Your brother?" The words left my lips and my mind whirled. Here I was, covered in salty tears and (God, I didn't even want to admit it to myself) a bit of snot from my self-indulgent crying, looking completely insane in front of my boyfriend, who was _not_ cheating on me apparently, to whom I'd just said some very hurtful things. Oh. Shit.

"Your brother," I repeated. Blaine nodded frantically at me, his eyes still shining with tears.

"Can you please come back in with me?" He shivered suddenly and I realized that he didn't even have any shoes on and his shirt was inside out. He must have just gotten out of bed and run after me. And I pretty much insinuated that he was a whore.

"Oh, god, Blaine. I am so sorry for what I said," I whispered. Why was this happening to me? I had finally found a decent guy and I went and fucked it up.

"Kurt, baby, please, just come inside with me," Blaine pleaded. "I know you didn't mean it."

"No, Blaine that's the problem," I said harshly. My anger was no longer directed at him, but rather at myself, but he still cringed at my tone. "I said it purposely to hurt you. I'm a bad person."

"I think, given what you saw and what you know about my past, it's forgivable," Blaine said with a sad smile. I hated that smile, the one he plastered on when he'd rather be crying or raging. He held his hand out even though I was still in my vehicle. I couldn't help but find the gesture endearing.

"Please, Kurt. Come back with me?"

I swallowed my guilt and got out of the car, locking it more out of habit rather than real thought. Blaine walked right next to me his hand open at his side, but I had my arms wrapped around my middle, feeling slightly sick at what I'd said.

When we reached his room, Blaine hesitated. "Coop went to go get some coffee, so we should have a little time to talk."

"I brought coffee. I left it on the table." My voice was void of emotion when I stated this. Blaine just gave me that heartbreaking smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I think he felt bad when he realized what you thought you were seeing."

"Oh," I said dumbly. I followed him into the room, shutting the door behind me and twisting the lock. Again, habit. "Sorry. Did you want to keep it open in case your brother comes back?"

"No, he'll be fine. You're what's important right now." He patted a spot on the bed next to him. I sat on the end, still a foot of space between us.

We both sat silent for a stretch of time. Finally, Blaine turned to me. "Thank you. For breakfast. It was very kind of you."

I winced at the stilted formality of his words. Usually if I dropped by with a surprise meal I got a _'Thanks, Babe.' _and a peck on the cheek. God if I only had stuck around for an explanation we would have been doing that and laughing about Blaine's clinginess.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry."

His words overwhelmed me. Why was he sorry? He didn't misunderstand a situation, leave before an explanation was given, and then proceed to insult the man loved.

"I should have told you last night that my brother was here, but I was nervous because we haven't spoken in over two years and I didn't want you to worry about how it might go, even though I was worried about it, and I wanted to tell you so bad but then after we talked for a few hours it was really late and my phone was dead and we fell asleep and—"

"Stop!" I placed my hand over his mouth to halt his rambling. It was something he did when he was nervous and usually I found it to be the height of cuteness but right now I needed him to listen to me.

"You have nothing to explain to me, Blaine," I started softly. "I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I had no right to say what I said. It was cruel of me. I know I can't take it back but you have to know I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Kurt." Blaine's hand on my cheek was comforting and I leaned into the touch. "I know you. I know you use your words as a defense mechanism." He grinned slyly at me. "I guess I should be grateful that you're a non-violent person. I'd hate to show up to class with a black eye. It would ruin my dapper persona."

I couldn't help but smile at his words. I loved to tease him about his gentlemanly ways. He was extremely chivalrous, but he could be so goofy sometimes. "Yeah, I guess. But I think you could totally pull off the badboy thing. I've seen your high school yearbook and that hair was totally 50's greaser chic. Add a black leather jacket and blue jeans and you could pass for a T-Bird."

He nudged my shoulder, laughing, and started humming Greased Lightning. The teasing exchange had cleared the tension from the air between us and I felt lighter knowing that I was forgiven.

"Blaine, I—" My words were cut off by Blaine's lips against mine. I didn't mind, really. After thinking for a moment that everything we had was gone, the reaffirmation in the gesture was greatly appreciated. Though, after a moment what started out as a sweet, gentle kiss quickly turned into more.

I'd heard before that the best part of fighting was the making up and until now I'd never understood it. Now I knew.

The feel of his lips moving against mine, his hands gripping my arms, gentle and strong at the same time set fire to something within me. It was different from any of the other times we'd made out. It wasn't just my hormones and my body that was so unused to touch responding to him or my heart practically bursting at the seams with how much I loved him.

This was _need_.

I needed him, not so much physically, but for the sake of my whole being. My soul if you will. Maybe that sounds stupid but it was how I felt. The only other time I had felt anything close to this was when I made the decision to keep my son. It was just _right_.

I suddenly felt the bed shift under me and realized I was laying down with Blaine above me. When did that happen? I wasn't really worried about it and just continued to feel Blaine: his lips against my lips, his fingers slotted through mine and squeezing almost painfully tight, his knees pressed against my outer thighs as he straddled me. Even in this fit of hazy love and lust and want and need he was ever the gentleman, keeping his hips hovering above mine, never touching.

I untangled my hands from his without breaking our kiss and placed them against his back, pressing down gently. I didn't want to push him, but I wanted to feel all of him against me, not in a sexual manner—though certain parts of my anatomy begged to differ—but just to have him as close as possible in that moment.

He paused, pulling away from my lips just enough to look in my eyes. I stared back at him, not sure what he was looking for but I guess whatever he saw was enough of a confirmation for him and he slowly, slowly lowered himself down, his entire body resting against mine. I gasped at the sensation, a part of my mind registering that he was just as aroused as I was, but mostly just reveling in the fact that every part of him was touching every part of me.

It made me feel whole.

My mouth was suddenly under attack, lips and teeth and tongue assaulted by Blaine's. I didn't mind.

Noises I didn't recognize invaded my hearing and I realized they were coming from me. I was whimpering and panting and making some kind of mewling sound that should have been totally embarrassing but wasn't because for every high-pitched noise that escaped me, Blaine answered with a contended sigh or throaty growl. I had never realized how hot such wordless grunting could be.

I could feel my hips moving without my consent, pushing up into Blaine's and my breath caught at the heat that shot through my body. I tensed when I realized what I was doing, but then he pressed back down against me and I moaned out loud. I needed to get ahold of myself before this got out of control.

"Blaine. _Blaine_."

I had meant to say it with some conviction, to make him stop for a moment so we could calm ourselves down. Instead it came out pleading, needy and only seemed to encourage him. He groaned loudly and kissed me harder, his body practically shoving mine into the thin mattress.

I could feel myself teetering on the edge and I was desperately trying not to fall. He pulled back from kissing me again and I opened my eyes, unable to remember when I had closed them in the first place.

His face was so beautiful, his lips swollen and red, his eyes wide and lust-blown but still filled with love. His breathing was erratic but he managed to speak.

"_Kurt_."

It was only one word but it was said almost reverently and that was all it took. I surged forward to capture his mouth as my eyes rolled back in my head a little. I felt his entire body tense and he held me so tightly I was sure I was going to have bruises tomorrow but I didn't care. I couldn't really care about anything right then.

I don't know how much time passed, but eventually the world crept back into focus. Blaine was sprawled half on top of me, tracing random patterns on my chest with his fingertips. I looked over at him, but his eyes were trained on his handiwork.

"Hey," I said simply. I knew I was smiling like a fool but I couldn't help it. His turned his face towards mine, a smile plastered across his features, too. His eyes had returned to their normal hazel color but were still brimming with emotion.

"Hey," he replied. I brought my finger to his lips, tracing them lightly. His breath hitched and I pulled my hand back, settling it against his cheek instead.

"I love you."

We had both said it in unison and grinned dopily at each other. It was one of those moments that was so cheesy while at the same time so sweet and I began to giggle. Pretty soon we were both full on laughing, our bodies shaking with the force of it.

A loud knock on the door interrupted our fit of hysteria and Blaine hollered to his brother that he would let him in in a minute. I took that as my cue to put myself back together. This was the first member of Blaine's family I would ever meet and I wanted to make a good impression. I scampered to the bathroom and began finger-combing my hair. I straightened my shirt and tried to readjust my pants but realized it was pointless. I was going to have to change.

"Blaine? I, er, need to borrow some pants," I called through the door. Before the words were even out of my mouth, the door cracked open and a pair of gray sweats with the word 'Dalton' down the leg were thrust into the room. I took them gratefully, my fingers brushing against his and lingering there. I smiled when I heard him chuckle before letting go.

By the time I reentered the bedroom, Cooper was pounding on the door and yelling threats involving Nair and shampoo bottles. Blaine was leaning against the wall grinning and shaking his head at his brother's antics.

"You'd better let him in. I'd hate for you to go bald. I don't think I could kiss you if every time I went run my fingers through your hair I was reminded of my father."

He barked out a laugh at that and shook his head. "You are cold, Hummel." He moved to the door, smile still in place. Cooper's fist was raised to beat on the door again and he stumbled a bit in surprise.

"Finally! I was beginning to think you were leaving me out here to die!" He swept in the room, flinging the door shut behind him. He plopped onto the bed, bouncing slightly, but somehow managing to not spill any of the three coffee cups of coffee in his grip. He held one out to me with an apologetic smile.

"I didn't know what you liked so I just got you a regular drip, but," he paused then and began rummaging through his pockets, still holding his and Blaine's cups with one hand. He let out a triumphant sound and pulled out two sugar packets and two mini creamers, "I brought these."

"Thank you," I said before introducing myself. "I'm Kurt, by the way."

"I figured that out. Sorry about this morning. Blaine talked about you last night but his description of you didn't really give me a good picture to work from."

"Oh?" I asked, intrigued. I glanced over at Blaine but he was rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Cooper just grinned at his brother's obvious discomfort. "Yeah, he mainly went on and on about your eyes and how he can never decide just what color they are exactly and how when you sing it's like birds and angels and every other cliché that his poofy-head could come up with."

I grinned at Cooper as Blaine swooped in between us. "Alright, enough humiliating Blaine." He pecked me on the cheek and settled onto the bed next to his brother, pulling me onto his lap.

"Kurt, I would like to introduce you to my brother and the only member of my family that I will still willingly interact with, Cooper Nathaniel Anderson," he said with mock gravity. "Cooper, this is the love of my life, Kurt E. Hummel."

Cooper's eyebrows rose as he shook my hand. "What? No middle name there, Kurt?"

I blushed furiously and Blaine chuckled. "All I've gotten out of him so far is the initial, but one day I _will_ find out."

"Alright, first item on today's agenda: Figure out Kurt's middle name."

"Yes!" Blaine's enthusiasm was punctuated with a squeeze around my middle. I groaned, hiding my smile. I was just happy that one member of Blaine's family was accepting of him and his relationship with me. It was nice.

The morning was spent on a wildly elaborate guessing game with Blaine's being more conventional and Cooper's leaning toward the ridiculous.

"Edward."

"Ezikiel"

"Edgar"

"Eqbert"

"Edwin"

"What is with you and the 'Eds', Blainers? Ephram"

I eventually just gave in.

"Elizabeth," I sighed. Both Andersons looked at me in surprise, theirs heads cocked at an angle. It was hilarious, made even more so by the fact that neither of them noticed the others mimic. "I had it legally changed six years after my mother passed."

"That's beautiful, Kurt," Blaine whispered. Cooper smiled kindly at me.

"Okay, next item on the agenda: Lunch. C'mon, you two. I'm buying."

That afternoon found the three of us spending three hours in a diner talking about anything and everything, from Blaine's childhood to my family. It was nice and Cooper was easy to talk to.

I made to leave around four o'clock, wanting to spend the evening with Jude. Cooper shook my hand again before I left, saying he hoped to see me soon, and Blaine walked me to my car.

"I was planning on inviting you to dinner tomorrow night, but I don't want to keep you from your brother, so…" I bit my lip, hoping he understood what I was trying to convey.

"I'd love to, Kurt. I can't stay away from you, you know," he said shyly.

"Cooper is welcome to come tomorrow night, too. I'm sure my family would love to meet him."

Blaine's smile was blinding. "I'll ask him but I know he'll say yes. After we'd been talking awhile last night he said he couldn't wait to 'meet the in-laws'."

I smiled in return at his words. "You proposing, Anderson?" I joked.

"Not yet," he said seriously. "But I will."

I was at a loss for words. My eyes felt suddenly wet but I was able to hold back the tears, my lips trembling. I didn't trust myself to speak. Blaine simply stroked my cheek and pressed his forehead to mine.

"I will."


	21. Chapter 21

I loved the winter time. I know a lot of people prefer the spring for the flowers and the warm weather or summer for the freedom and range of activities or fall for the beautiful foliage, but winter was always my favorite. Seeing the trees looking so bare and dead, knowing that the green was only hiding made them seem somehow more beautiful to me. When the snow fell, coating everything in a blanket of pure white it would take my breath away.

Christmas was only a few days away. Classes were done for the semester leaving me with loads more free time to spend with my family and my boyfriend. The only obligation I had was working three days a week in the shop so I could have a little extra money. Dad tried to just give me the money but I refused, I wanted to earn it, I refused to let myself be one of those kids that mooch off their parents all their lives.

I hadn't told Dad yet, but I was planning on looking for an apartment in the spring. I had never been much of a saver in high school, but when I brought Jude home, that changed. I realized just how much it cost to care for a baby and I wasn't even paying for rent or utilities. So I started putting back money from every one of my paychecks. Sometimes it wasn't much, but I always put at least fifty dollars into savings each week.

Last time I checked my balance I had a little over twelve thousand saved. I moved half to a separate account for Jude's college fund and moved the other half into a new checking account that would draw interest on everything over the first thousand. I finally had enough to find Jude and me a place of our own.

I'd researched a few places not too far from the house and planned out a budget. I knew it would be tight and that I would either need to pick up more shifts at the garage or find another job to keep us afloat, but this was something I needed to do. With Jude starting kindergarten the following fall I wouldn't be paying out as much in childcare, so I could adjust my budget there, too.

There was only one thing that I was unsure about with the whole situation.

Blaine.

I knew he loved me and Jude, and I loved him so much, but I was worried about how he would react if I asked him to move in with me. As much as of a commitment dating a guy with a kid is, living with a child that's not yours is a whole different thing. Yes, he already practically live with us on the weekends and Dad had let the whole 'significant others sleep on the couch' rule slide knowing we wouldn't be doing anything inappropriate with Jude in the room, but actually _living_ together, sharing the responsibilities of a home with bills and cleaning and grocery shopping and the whole lot? I didn't know if he was ready for that.

A snowball to the head shook me from my thoughts. I turned in the direction it had come from, seeing no one, but a deep chuckle gave Finn's position away. I crept over to the rose bushes, doing my best to be stealthy. I could hear Finn's whispers and knew I had caught them both. I scooped up some snow, packing the perfect snowball and waited for the right moment.

I had just reached the bush when I was blindsided from behind. I hit the ground with a loud grunt, the snow stinging my face.

"Yeah! Good job, buddy! We did it!" Finn's whoops of victory sounded loud after the whispers I'd heard. I rolled onto my back to see Jude grinning from ear to ear and doing a little dance.

"You were talking to yourself," I said dumbly. Finn nodded and Jude just continued to dance, kicking snow as he twirled. "You tricked me."

"Ha! Don't mope. All's fair in love and war," Finn said. "Did I say that right?"

"Yes, Finn, I'm very happy to say you did," I chuckled. I pushed myself off the ground, grimacing at the dampness of my clothes. I snuck up behind Jude who was still doing his happy dance and grabbed him around the waist, flinging him over my shoulder.

"Time for us to go in and get ready!" I proclaimed as Finn laughed.

I was taking Jude to see Santa at the mall. Blaine was working there as an elf, something that I was teasing him endlessly about, and had told me when the best time to bring Jude so we wouldn't have to wait in line forever.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly as I navigated the icy roads. Luckily there wasn't much traffic between the house and the Lima mall.

Jude was pulling against my hand in his excitement to see Santa as we pushed our way through the throngs of last minute shoppers. Normally I would scoff at waiting until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts, but I was in the same boat that year. I had been buying here and there for Jude all year but that was the extent of it. Carole was watching Jude the next day so I could finish my shopping and then Blaine was taking the two of us to dinner at McDonalds. Not exactly the most romantic date, but Jude would love it and Blaine would get to spend time with both of us, something that hadn't really been possible the last few weeks between work and school. I'd missed him and so had Jude, the boy asked about him each day.

We were in sight of the North Pole display when Jude tore out of my grip. I started to yell at him but saw Blaine waving enthusiastically. Jude leapt the last three feet between them, man and boy both spinning and laughing like mad.

I shook my head as I took my place in line, beckoning them over to me. Jude tightened his grip on Blaine, shaking his head when I held my arms out to him. Blaine pried Jude's arms from his neck explaining that he had to go help Santa but they would visit for a bit afterwards. Jude pouted but relented and Blaine made his way back to his post at the camera, snapping a picture of a chubby girl with tears in her eyes on Santa's lap.

When our turn finally came, Jude bounded up to Santa and jumped in his lap, hands flying. Blaine laughed and began translating for him, 'Santa' dividing his attention between the two.

"—And a transformer truck and an easy bake oven and paints for Grandma and me to make pictures with and tools for me to help Grandpa with cars and a voice so I…can…sing." Blaine's voice was choked as he repeated Jude's last request. My own throat was closing at Jude's words and I moved to take him from Santa, but he was still signing away.

After a moment of confusion at the stricken faces of his helper and myself, Santa laughed jollily and patted Jude's head, telling him he would see what he could do and reminding him to be a good boy.

Blaine and Santa had a short conversation which ended with Blaine putting the 'Back In Fifteen Minutes' sign up at the front of the line, causing much grumbling from the waiting parents and children.

Blaine motioned for Jude and I to follow them to the oversized gingerbread house that served as their break room.

Jude was wriggling with excitement as we entered and I was surprised that the inside was actually decorated to match the exterior. Blaine noticed my preoccupation with the interior design.

"We let parents bring children in here sometimes to calm them down," he explained.

"Jude, how about you get yourself one of those candy canes over there on that table and let me talk to your daddy for a few minutes." The man in the man in the red suit waited until Blaine had distracted Jude with the treat and the mural on the opposite wall before pulling his beard down to his chin and gesturing for me to take a seat in one of the three folding chairs in the room.

"I want to have a talk with your son, if you don't mind Mr…."

"Hummel," I supplied.

"Mr. Hummel. This isn't the first time I've had a child come up to me with a, er, difficult request."

I stared at him curiously. He gave me a grim smile before going on.

"I've been doing this Santa gig for a lot of years. I've had kids asking me to cure their parent's or sibling's illnesses, a few to bring them back deceased loved ones or pets, and one," he took a deep shuddering breath, "who asked me to make her daddy stop coming into her room at night after her mommy fell asleep."

"Oh my god." I felt bile rise in my throat at that. The man's expression of disgust as he nodded

"Yeah. So in all those cases, except for the last, I have a little speech I tell the kids about how Santa's magic can only do so much and how sometimes we just have to be thankful for the gifts we already have. If it's alright with you, I'd like to give your son that speech."

I nodded silently, still disturbed by what he'd told me about that poor girl. I'd never imagined being a department store Santa could have such implications. You were almost a therapist for toddlers in a way.

I grabbed his arm before he could turn from me. "What did you do? About the girl?" I had to ask. I didn't even want to think about something like that, but I had to know that he had at least done something. Surely no one could just let something like that go, knowing what was going on.

"I had her tell me her last name and address, so I could be sure find her house on Christmas Eve," he chuckled darkly, "then I took my break and called social services. I don't know for sure what happened, but I'd like to believe that she's safe now. I have to."

I watched him as he took a seat next to Jude and began his well-rehearsed speech. Blaine moved over next to me and slid his hand into mine. I gripped it fiercely, my thoughts swirling into a nonsensical storm.

"You okay?"

I looked at him then, his eyes full of worry, and realized that I needed to pull myself together. I had perfected my mask in high school to make myself look fine when I really wasn't and it was time to pull it back out.

"Fine," I lied, my smile not quite right but there none the less. I was watching as Jude nodded solemnly to Santa, hoping that he didn't lose faith in the holiday at the age of four. When all was said and done Jude smiled, so I guess he accepted the explanation. I hoped at least.

oOoOo

Christmas Eve was crazy. That is the only word I can come up with to accurately describe that evening.

The house was much more crowded than usual with Puck, Finn and I each bringing our significant others with us. We made a strange family, but it worked.

Despite their complete opposite personalities Lauren and Jess got on like they'd been besties for life, which delighted both Puck and Finn more than either of them would admit.

After his initial wariness in the beginning, Dad had become fond of Blaine and in return, Blaine had begun to gravitate to him when we are all gathered together. Between his love of football and his genuine interest in classic cars Blaine had earned himself a spot in my father's heart that had nothing to do with me or Jude. I was glad. Blaine hadn't ever had a real father figure in his life and despite my bout of jealousy in high school, I was more than willing to share Dad's love.

And deep down, I knew I would never have been able to be in a relationship with someone my father didn't like. It had been him and me for too many years and I was still a daddy's boy even if I was now an adult.

After dinner, which was loud and long and full of laughter, we gathered around the tree to open one present apiece. It was a tradition in our family and Dad and Carole had made sure that each of our guests had something, too, so they weren't left out.

Jude opened his first, overjoyed at the robot dog Dad and Carole had gotten him. It took us a few minutes of passing around the instructions but we finally got it turned on and performing tricks. He settled into my lap, sleepy now that his present had been opened, and watched with half-lidded eyes as the toy yipped and mechanically trotted around the room.

Dad stood then and began passing almost identical gifts to the rest of us, telling us to wait so that everyone opened them together. When he was done, he settled back into his chair and Carole snuggled into his side from her perch on the arm.

"Alright, now everybody open."

Shreds of wrapping paper littered the floor as everyone tore into their gifts. Finn was the first to speak.

"A ticket to see the Buckeyes?" His brow furrowed in confusion and Dad just laughed.

"Yep. And theatre tickets for the ladies. And Kurt. We're all going to Columbus first week of January." He was grinning like crazy as everyone began murmuring amongst themselves. "I'm closing the shop for a week for vacation and before you ask, Kurt, I already talked with Mrs. Bellvue about keeping Jude for a couple days so you can go. We're going on a family vacation for the first time in years and I for one can't wait."

I was torn between elation at the thought of getting out of Lima for a few days and not seeing Jude for that length of time. I knew I needed this, and Mrs. Bellevue was wonderful with him, but I couldn't help but worry about the separation anxiety.

I peered at the boy who was now sleeping peacefully in my lap. He was my world. But he was also growing up, and would be starting school soon enough. I had to start letting go a bit.

"Burt, I can't even begin to say thank you for this," Blaine said once the room had quieted. "It means a lot to me that you would invite me to a family event like this and then to extend that to a family vacation. I don't have words."

His eyes were shining with emotion and I could tell he wanted to say more, but he knew enough about my father to know that grand displays of affection weren't his thing. For his part Dad grunted and nodded.

"Hell, kid, you're practically one of us now." He paused before continuing a bit grudgingly, "You, too, Puckerman. I swear, sometimes it feels like I've got four sons instead of two."

"Thanks, Mr. H. And what Blaine said, totally." Puck's heartfelt, albeit poorly worded reply earned him a smack from his wife. Everyone laughed at that and the seriousness in the room quickly dissipated.

"Well, I'm gonna get this one into his bed and me into mine. Goodnight all." I shifted Jude so he was securely on my shoulder and Blaine held his hand out to pull me from the couch.

As Blaine followed me up the stairs, I heard a loud wolf whistle followed by another smack.

"Shut it, Puckerman," Dad growled.

I laughed quietly to myself as I tucked the blankets around my son. That kid could sleep through anything.

Blaine was leaning against the doorframe watching us, a small smile and a far off look gracing his features. I smiled back at him quizzically, but he just shook his head and grabbed his pajamas from the dresser. About a month back he had brought a set to keep there, as well as a few changes of clothes for when he spent the weekends so he didn't have to worry about packing a bag. He also had a red Snoopy toothbrush to match Jude's blue one in the holder on my sink. In some ways, it was almost like we were already living together.

I let him have the bathroom first, changing into my own night clothes while he was out of the room. Things had progressed some physically between us but we still hadn't gone all the way yet and as such were still somewhat modest with each other about complete nudity. Add in the factor of the sleeping four-year-old in the room and yeah, we dressed separately.

Settling into bed with Blaine was one of the greatest feelings ever. It was a chilly night, but I knew that with Blaine's cuddle-bug tendencies I would be plenty warm. I was already in that comfortable half-asleep state when Blaine spoke.

"Kurt?" he whispered. "Can I give you my present early? I don't want to wait til morning."

I was pretty sure I must have already been asleep because that seemed like an odd thing to say, but I went with it, humming an affirmative as I snuggled closer. He kept one arm wrapped around me as he reached blindly into his backpack that was next to my nightstand. After a few minutes of fumbling he stilled. I was still half convinced that I was dreaming when he grabbed my hand. My left hand.

The cool slide of metal on my ring finger woke me up completely and my entire body tensed. Blaine felt me stiffen and was quick to speak.

"It's not an engagement ring!" he proclaimed a little too loudly. He continued, softer, "It's a promise ring. I know that may seem kind of silly, like a high school romance or something but I wanted to get you something to show you how much you mean to me and how much what we have means to me and I know we're both still in school so marriage is a ways off but I want you to know that I do want that. With you. And Jude. I love you both so much and you're crazy family, too. I don't want you to ever doubt that so I thought that maybe this ring could be sort of a placeholder, you know? For another type of ring in the future?"

He sounded almost desperate as he ended his rant. I was still reeling from the feel of the ring and it seemed he was taking my silence as rejection.

"Kurt? Please say something," he said, pain and panic in his voice.

"Move in with me."

"What?" I could vaguely see him in the dim light coming from the window, his eyebrows raised nearly to his hairline in confusion. "I don't know if Burt would—"

"In the summer I'm moving Jude and I into an apartment," I interrupted. "I want you to live with us. If you want to." I spoke the last part hesitantly, still unsure of how he would react, ring or no ring.

"Yes," he breathed out, pulling me closer to him. His lips met mine in a bruising kiss that left me more than a little dazed. "I want to so much, Kurt."

I kissed him again, twining my hands with his. I could feel his fingers running along the band on my third finger and I smiled against his lips. I felt him smile too, and we pulled apart, foreheads resting together as we both reveled in what had just happened. I'd been given a ring, and a promise for more rings, and he'd been offered a new home, the start of a new life with a new family.

Best Christmas ever.


	22. Chapter 22

"Who's bright idea was it to move into a new place in June, anyways," I grumbled as I hauled in the last box from my Navigator. I was sweaty and sticky and bone tired.

Blaine just grinned at me from over his own box. "I do believe it was yours, Babe."

"Hush, you," I said as I playfully swatted him on the ass.

"Hey, now, leave the hanky panky for after we leave, Hummel."

Puck was backing into the room carrying one end of the couch that Finn had spotted sitting on the curb in one of the wealthier neighborhoods on our way to the apartment. He and Finn had insisted it would be an awesome addition seeing as how we only had an armchair and an endtable for the living room. I had to admit that the color would mesh nicely with the rest of the décor I had planned but I insisted on giving it a sniff check before I would let them load it up. It must have only been sitting there for a few hours as it didn't smell at all musty so I gave them the okay and we were on our way.

"Our house, our rules," I bit back, leaning in to kiss Blaine's smiling lips.

"Just keep it PG while I'm around, please. I don't want to think about my brother doing _that_," Finn stated as he dropped his end of the couch. He flopped onto said couch with a grunt, sweat dripping down his face.

"Yeah, you guys can screw like porn stars _after_ we leave," Puck said with a smirk.

Finn blanched. "Dude! That's my brother!"

"Like you don't already know they get their gay on," Puck snorted. "_Ain't nothing wrong with a little bump and grind…"_ he sang suggestively.

"Alright!" I half-shouted above Puck's singing and Blaine's laughter. "Enough traumatizing Finn for one day. Are you two sticking around for dinner? Pizza, my treat?"

"Nah, Lauren's parents are coming over tonight. I gotta be heading that way soon, actually." Puck stretched and shook himself out, picking at his shirt with a sniff. "Need to get a shower before the in-laws get there."

I nodded at him, thinking a shower sounded great right then, actually, but I had a lot of unpacking to do before I could indulge myself.

"Finn? Pizza?"

He looked almost torn, but after a quick glance at Puck he declined. "Nope, not tonight. I'm pretty worn out. I think I'm just gonna go home and see what Mom's cooking. Maybe spend some time with my nephew before he leaves me, too."

Jude was still at Dad and Carole's house. They were keeping him all weekend to give Blaine and me a chance to get everything unpacked without a hyperactive five-year-old running amok. They didn't say so, but I was pretty sure they were subtly giving us some alone time in our new place.

"Okay, but you know you're welcome to stay," I told him. He just smiled at me and shook his head. After a few words of thanks and assurances that as soon as we were all settled in we'd have a get together both my movers left and Blaine and I were alone. Completely alone with no responsibilities for two whole days.

Yeah, unpacking could wait for now.

Apparently, Blaine was thinking along the same lines as me, because I was suddenly attacked by a pair of lips.

We stumbled through the maze of boxes, never parting, hands roaming over one another until we made it into the bigger of the two bedrooms that would be ours when the unpacking was done. Clothes were shed along the way until we were both down to just our boxers when we fell onto the mattress that was still without sheets.

I was kissing my way down Blaine's chest and had just reached his waistband, nipping it with my teeth, when the phone rang. I groaned in frustration.

"Just let the machine get it," Blaine breathed, pulling me up into a kiss. I moaned an affirmative as the answering machine kicked on.

"_Hi! You've reached Blaine, Kurt and Jude! Sorry we can't come to the phone but if you leave your name and number we'll be sure to get right back to you. Unless you're a telemarketer. Then we won't."_

"_Blaine!"_

"_I'm just being honest!"_

"_Just push the damn button!"_

"_Okay, okay. Bye!"_

_BEEP_

"Hey, babygays! I know you're there. Pick up the damn phone!" Santana's voice screeched through the speakers of the machine. "I guess you're christening your new place so I'll forgive you for ignoring me. This time. And in honor of the occasion I'm gonna play you a little song."

I was only half listening as Blaine's mouth moved against my collarbone, when Katy Perry suddenly sounded from the answering machine.

"…_Wanna see your peacock, cock, cock, your peacock, cock_…"

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed as Blaine burst into laughter. He was rolling on the bed, clutching his stomach as I jumped up and stormed from the room.

"Babe! Wait!" He tried to get up but fell back onto the mattress, tears in his eyes from laughing.

I grumbled as I stalked through the apartment. My purposeful stride would have been intimidating had I been clothed in more than just underwear, but it's not like anyone could see me. I picked the cordless phone from the cradle and hit the talk button.

"THANK YOU, SANTANA!" I screamed into the receiver before hitting the off button, ending the call and cutting off the recording. I then proceeded to turn off the ringer and unplug the machine. If there was an emergency, Dad would get ahold of me on my cell.

I made my way back to the bedroom, head held high. Blaine had finally gotten control of himself and was lounging on the bed. My bad mood disappeared instantly at the sight of him sprawled out in front of me.

"Now," I said haughtily, "where were we?"

OoOoOo

Waking up in a new place is always a bit disorienting, but the arms wrapped around me that first morning quelled any fears I might have had.

I peeked through my lashes at Blaine's still sleeping form. His head was on my chest, arms around my waist and legs intertwined with mine. It was too hot for cuddling really, but I wasn't going to complain.

I traced my fingers down his side, ghosting over his bare ribs. It must have tickled because he squirmed and gripped me tighter before his eyes slowly opened. A sleepy smile spread over his lips as his gaze met mine.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He rolled off of me, stretching and groaning. After a moment he turned back to me, his smile blinding.

"Morning, roomie!"

I laughed at that. To be honest, I loved the sound of that, even if we were really so much more, and Blaine's child-like enthusiasm was refreshing.

"Morning, live-in boyfriend," I smirked. "You ready to get unpacking?"

He groaned but got up out of bed, bumbling towards the three-quarter bathroom that was attached to our room. There were many factors involved when I chose this apartment, but the private bath was definitely a plus, even if it only had a stall shower.

Since this was the first time Jude would have his own room, and pretty much, his own bathroom, I may have gone a little overboard in terms of decorations. A new bedding set for his new bed—he was almost too tall for the toddler bed anyways—and posters for his walls. A bath mat and accessory set with waste basket, tumbler and toothbrush holder and two new towels just for him. Of course, they were all TMNT or at least green. I even bought fabric so I could make him curtains for the two windows in his bedroom. Dad had chided me when I'd gotten all the cartoon paraphernalia, reminding me that kids go through phases and in another six months Jude may not even like them anymore, but I didn't care. I wanted Jude to love our new place and was willing to do anything to make the transition easier.

The day was spent in getting everything just right. I hated living out of boxes, so I wanted to get this done as quickly as possible and between the two of us we were done by midnight. We both collapsed onto the couch—which I would have to thank Finn for noticing because it was _really_ comfortable—and snuggled into each other. We were hot and sweaty but neither of us cared at that moment. I could've fallen asleep right there.

"Mmmm, we need to shower," Blaine mumbled into my neck. I sighed and twisted my head to the side to allow him better access to the skin below my jaw. His stubble was scratchy against my sensitive skin and that was surprising arousing. We'd spent the whole day so near one another, exchanging flirty glances and the occasional lingering kiss, but we hadn't let ourselves get distracted from the task at hand.

"You want first shower?" I asked him. He whined when I extracted myself from his embrace but allowed me to pull him from the couch.

"Well," he said huskily, "we could always shower together. Conserve water. Live greener."

I smirked at his thinly veiled attempt at seduction. "Well, you know, I _am_ all about saving the earth…" And with that I ran to the bedroom with Blaine hot on my heels.

OoOoOo

The look of awe on Jude's face when he walked into his Turtle-tastic bedroom the next day was totally worth every penny spent and the trips to three different department stores. He ran around the room from one end to another before launching himself into my arms and practically choking me with the force of his hug. Blaine laughed at my bug-eyed expression.

"I'm glad you like your room, buddy," he managed between chuckles. Jude nodded at that and threw himself at Blaine then. "Oof! You must really like it! Did you see your bathroom yet?"

And like that, the boy was gone, the bathroom door slamming open. Blaine and I followed to find Jude bouncing on his toes as he looked the room over. He turned to us as we approached, signing 'thank you' over and over.

"I'm really happy you're happy, Jude," I said as he finally began to calm down. He was still grinning like mad, but he was no longer imitating a hummingbird in flight. "Are you hungry? I haven't gone grocery shopping yet, but we can order delivery from Breadstix."

He nodded and requested his usual cheese raviolis with marinara sauce and I called in our order. Twenty minutes later we were seated around the secondhand dining table (almost all of our furniture, apart from Jude's bed, because, just, no, had been picked up used from various thrift shops and yard sales over the last few months) laughing and talking and eating way too many carbs. It was our first dinner together in our new home and it was perfect.

Jude was drooping over his plate, smears of marinara sauce on his face, when I decided it was time for bed. His eyes were half-lidded as he washed his face and brushed his teeth. I had to help him into his pajamas and he was almost asleep before I had him tucked in. I kissed his forehead and started to stand when his little hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

'Sing to me?'

I smiled at him and nodded. I opened my mouth to sing the opening lines of "Hey Jude" but he shook his head frantically.

"What, baby?" I asked him, brushing a curl from his face.

'Blaine, too.'

I beckoned to Blaine who was leaning in the doorway watching us. He came over to us and knelt next to the bed.

"What's up, buddy?"

'Sing with Daddy, please.'

I could see the shine in Blaine's eyes even in the dim light from the nightlight.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." He turned to me and I nodded and we did the old Beatles tune as a duet, our voices blending as we sang softly until Jude's breathing evened out and we were sure he was asleep.

We crept quietly out of the room, leaving the door open halfway and moved to the kitchen to clean up the mess from dinner. As the last of the dishes were set in the rack, Blaine wrapped me in a fierce hug.

"Thank you," he whispered fervently. I gripped him back just as tightly, unsure of what had brought this on, but enjoying the affection nonetheless.

"For what?" I asked.

"For loving me. For letting me love you and Jude. For letting me be a part of this family." His voice was raw with emotion and I felt my own eyes tearing up.

"Of course, Blaine. I love you, too," I said hoarsely. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried to lighten the mood. "You're stuck with us, you know. We're never letting you go now."

"Good," he replied, burrowing his face into my neck.

I don't know how long we stood there in that too small kitchen before finally separating just long enough to make our way to our bed. We lay awake for a long while, just holding each other and kissing occasionally, not speaking, not needing to.

We both knew what the other wanted to express with just a touch. We were a part of each other.

We were a family.

**AN: I felt like I needed to have some fluff to counteract all the drama of the last few chapters, I never start out writing with the intention of angst but the story just goes where it wants to. Truthfully, I never plan a chapter past the first few paragraphs. Things are going to start moving a little faster in time now and it might be a bit before the next chapter is up, but I am also working on another one-shot involving Puck and Jude, so if you're interested it'll be on my profile page within the next few days. Peace out and thanks for reading!**


	23. Chapter 23

"Number two pencils. Not mechanical."

"Got 'em."

"Crayons. Eight pack."

"Got 'em."

"No, not those. Get the Crayola. They're better."

"Really, Kurt? They're crayons."

"Yes, and Crayola crayons are the best."

"Whatever you say, babe," Blaine chuckled. He threw the yellow box in the cart, then grabbed another and threw it in too.

"What are you doing? He only needs one," I asked him. He just grinned at me and tossed in a pack of construction paper.

"These are for me."

I rolled my eyes at him. He was like a child sometimes.

We moved on to the next item on the school supply list; I would place items in like a normal person and Blaine would pretend to be making free throws and slam dunks. After each successful 'shot' he would hold up a hand for Jude to give him a high-five, both of them giggling like mad. I did my best to not let them see me smile, but I'm pretty sure I failed.

"Okay, that's done. Now it's time to get you some school clothes," I proclaimed, earning a groan from Blaine and a facepalm from my son. I didn't know how any child of mine could possibly hate clothes shopping, but Jude certainly did.

Being the awesome dad that I was, I had written down his sizes so we could just grab a few things in each size and one or two in the next size up and go.

We were just finishing up, Jude having found a backpack with—you guessed it—Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that he just had to have, his obsession with the old cartoon series still alive and well, when a voice sounded behind us.

"I know you're short, Blaine, but shopping in the kids section?"

I whirled around, ready to chew somebody a new one, when I noticed Blaine was laughing. I watched as he moved towards the stranger—at least, he was a stranger to me—and engulfed him in a hug.

Had I been the jealous type, I might have been a little miffed to see my boyfriend hugging another man. A fairly attractive man, at that. And was it really necessary to hug for so long? But I totally wasn't jealous.

Nope.

Not me.

I felt a tug on my shirt and turned back to the cart where Jude was waiting to catch my eye before signing to me.

'Who's that?'

"I don't know sweetie. But Blaine must know him pretty well."

Our exchange finally broke Blaine from his little reunion and he disentangled himself from the other man only to grab his arm and pull him along to us.

"Wes, I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Kurt Hummel. Kurt this is Wes Montgomery, my friend from Dalton I told you about." Any lingering ill feelings toward the man were gone after the introduction. Blaine had indeed told me all about his friends at Dalton, mostly about Wes and to an only slightly lesser extent, David.

"Lovely to meet you," I said, shaking his hand. His eyes widened for just a moment as I spoke, but I didn't take offense. He didn't curl his lip in disgust or anything and I knew that my voice was unusually high for a man. I was used to it.

"You, too. Do you sing?" There was an almost manic gleam in his eye when he said it.

"Excuse me?"

Blaine laughed and pulled Wes back. "Easy, Wesley, we're not done with introductions yet." Wes visibly deflated at that and I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped my lips. Blaine pulled Jude from the basket, the boys legs wrapping vice-like around Blaine's middle. "And this little monkey is Jude, Kurt's son. Jude this is one of my very good friends, Wesley." Wes for his part didn't seem fazed by the fact that Blaine was acting paternal to another man's child. It moved him up another notch in my book.

Jude looked at the new arrival for a moment before signing rapidly.

'Can I call him Uncle like I do Uncle Puck and Uncle Finn?'

Blaine just laughed. I watched Wesley's puzzled expression for a moment before turning back to my son.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but you know it's polite to ask first."

Jude signed his question to Wesley, who had no idea what was going on, and Blaine translated quietly. Wes held his fist out for Jude to knuckle bump with a solemn face.

"I would love for you to call me Uncle Wes." He grinned at Jude then. "Y'know, Blaine here is like a brother to me. He was my best friend in school. Do you have a best friend?"

Blaine translated Jude's rapid hand movements for Wes and the three of them became engrossed in one another, leaving me to finish up the shopping, which really saved time. We all migrated towards the check-out line, Wes peppering me with questions now and again which were for the most part easy to answer.

"So how long have you and Blainers here been together?" Easy answer.

"What are your intentions with Blainey-boy?" Another easy answer, accompanied by a fit of laughter at Blaine's indignant exclamation.

"How old is the short one? I mean Jude, not Blaine." More outraged Blaine. I liked this guy.

"What are you majoring in?"

"_Do_ you sing?"

"So are you two planning on more kids?"

I froze in the act of counting out my cash and Blaine began to choke—on what I don't know—and handed Jude off to Wes until he got himself under control. "What?"

Wes looked at the two of us in surprise, as if his question shouldn't have caused a minor breakdown.

"Blainers here always talked about wanting a big family. I just assumed, with you guys engaged and all…"

"We're not engaged," I said slowly. "Why would think we're engaged?"

Wes shrugged and gestured to my hand where the promise ring Blaine had given me eight months ago shone like a beacon.

"Oh, no, it's not an engagement ring," I explained hurriedly. Wes just quirked an eyebrow at me, shifting slightly as Jude scrambled around to hang off him piggy-back style.

"It's a promise ring," Blaine said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking pointedly at the floor.

Wes just smiled and shook his head indulgently.

I wheeled our half-full cart through the automatic doors and the heat from the asphalt parking lot hit me full force.

"Ugh. Why does it have to be so hot?" I griped. Blaine walked next to me, his hands resting on the cart. It was one of those little moments of domesticity that warmed my heart.

"Well, it is July," he smirked at me. I swatted him on the shoulder playfully. Wes was running down the aisle with Jude on his back making airplane noises and occasionally spinning. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"Are all your friends as adorable as you?" I teased.

"Surely I'm more adorable. I mean come on," he joked, "have you seen these eyes?" He sideways to face me, face in full-on puppy mode. He was still managing to keep up the pace I had set, walking sideways in a modified grapevine.

"You are awful cute," I conceded, giving him a light peck on the lips. It was as far as I was willing to go in the way of PDA seeing as we were in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot in Ohio. Oh, to be somewhere more accepting…

"Dive bomb Blaine!" Wes shrieked. I looked up to see the other man holding my son Superman-style and charging at Blaine. My eyes widened and my heart stopped. When Blaine caught him expertly, I started to breathe again, but my panic-stricken expression had not escaped Wes's notice.

"Didn't mean to scare you, Kurt. Sorry," he said, not looking that sorry at all. "Blaine and I used to do that all the time with my little sis. Old habits, y'know?"

I breathed slowly to regain my calm. I had to stop going into overprotective mode all the time. I knew it in my mind, but it was still something else entirely to actually do.

Jude was giggling breathily, completely wound up. His blue eyes were darting around in a way that told me naptime was going to be forgone in exchange for a flurry of afternoon activities. I could try to fight him on it, but really, I knew my son. He was just as stubborn as me and I knew when to pick my battles. Skipping his nap meant that he would crash about an hour earlier than usual and sleep heavily through the night, but it also meant that the last hour he was awake would not be pleasant.

"It's fine. I'm just a worry-wart sometimes," I assured him. "Besides, he'll be starting school soon so I'd better get used to him getting bumps and bruises."

Blaine laughed loudly and Wes just looked at me confused.

"Jude's kind of a klutz," I said in explanation.

"He's been climbing on me like a spider monkey for the last hour," Wes replied. As if to prove the point, Jude flung himself over Blaine's shoulder, linking their elbows and landing behind him in a perfect dismount.

"Yeah, he can be exceptionally graceful when he puts his mind to it," I said watching my son in awe. And there it was. His attention had strayed to watch a butterfly in the distance and he promptly walked into a parked car. The boy stumbled back, shaking himself out and continuing on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Truly, nothing had. My kid was ordinarily very clumsy, he just had rare moments of beautiful grace.

"That's hilarious," Wes guffawed. "So when will you be proposing, Blainey?"

"WES!" Blaine shouted turning beet red.

I just chuckled and began loading my bags into the back of my Navigator. Jude smiled at me when he climbed into his seat, turning on his DVD player and zoning into his movie. I could hear the two friends bantering behind me, exchanging contact information and promising to get together again before Wes returned to California for his last year of UCLA.

The drive home was quiet, the only sounds in the car coming from the movie playing in the back. Blaine had gotten that look on his face that meant he was deep in thought, so I left him to it, tapping my fingers the beat of a song in my head.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, Jude stomping around the house stormily before falling asleep at the table before his dinner was even finished. Blaine smiled softly at the sight and carried him to his bed and I moved to start cleaning the kitchen.

"Let me help?" Blaine's soft-spoken request startled me and I dropped the plate I was washing back into the soapy water. I nodded at him and resumed washing, handing him clean dishes to rinse and dry.

"Wes certainly lived up to expectations," I commented. Blaine laughed quietly.

"Yeah, he's a character."

"You should invite him over before he leaves town. What in the world was he doing in Lima? You said his parents live in Westerville."

"They do," Blaine replied. "He was visiting an old flame. Probably hoping for a hook-up, but she's happily married and pregnant."

"Ouch. Burn," I grinned.

"I guess," he said distractedly. He didn't go on and I didn't push. I knew well enough by now that silent, contemplative Blaine usually led to rambling Blaine, which I found completely adorable.

We finished the dishes and moved onto the living room, picking up the scattered toys that Jude had left out. He was pretty good about picking up before bedtime but the day had worn him out and I didn't mind the little bit of extra cleaning.

"If you like I could always get you some Hotwheels of your own, though I don't think Jude would mind sharing," I joked. Blaine looked up from where he was sitting on the floor, the little red truck that he'd been staring at for the past five minutes still in his hand.

He shook his head and grinned sheepishly. He tossed the car into the bin in the corner and strode across the room purposefully. He grabbed me around the waist and was suddenly kissing me hard.

I let myself get caught up for a moment before pushing him back, my hands framing his face. He stared at me, a huge smile on his face.

"What was that about?" I asked a little breathlessly. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm just so happy that I met you. I love you so much," he said in an awe-struck voice. He leaned in and captured my mouth in another passionate kiss.

"I love you, too," I mumbled against his lips. His response was to hold me tighter and I didn't mind in the least.

"Y'know," he said as we broke apart, his hands lingering on my back, "I was supposed to move to New York when I graduated high school. Wes was already in California and we were gonna finish college and start partner recording studios on opposite coasts that way we could take the music scene from both sides and rule the world."

I laughed at the over exuberant tone he spoke with and he grinned along with me.

"I know, it sounds crazy but if you're gonna dream, dream big, y'know? Anyways, when all the crap went down with my family I was so mad. Mad at my dad for not just loving me for who I was, for ruining my chance at getting out of Ohio."

I frowned at his words. I knew what it was like to want to get out of this awful place, to go somewhere where he wouldn't be judged for holding another man's hand.

"You know you could still get there, Blaine," I said quietly. "I'm sure you could make it. I mean, it might be tough for a while, but you've got your savings and I'm sure with your talent you'd have no problem finding a job. And there are student loans for college. And—"

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted. I looked at him then, confusion filling his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"New York," I stated simply. "I know what it's like to want to go there. I used to want that, too. But when I had Jude, that changed. I realized that I couldn't very well live in a city like that with a kid when I was still a kid myself. I needed to stay here, as much as I hated to admit it, because I needed my family. For him. But you could still make your dream happen, Blaine."

"Kurt," he said, a small smile forming. "You didn't let me finish my rant. You know it takes me a bit to get to the point."

I huffed out a laugh then, because, yeah, it was true. There was no making a long story short with him.

"As I was saying, he took away my chance at leaving Ohio. I was so mad for so long, but now," he grinned at me then, "I want to thank him."

"What?" I snapped.

He looked at me with those hazel eyes glassy, so much emotion in the pools of color. "If I'd left after high school, I would have never met you. So as much as I _dislike_ the man," he said delicately, because Blaine could never hate anyone, it just wasn't in his nature, "in a roundabout way he led me to you."

I laughed then, full out, because here I was, a realist—and some would say, a pessimist—in love with the world's biggest advocator of the phrase 'glass half full'.

"You are insanely optimistic, Blaine," I said my laughter tapered off. "But that's just one of the many reasons I love you."

"I love you, too," he said before kissing me again.

The state of Ohio had moved up a notch on my list.


	24. Chapter 24

I shut the fridge door after replacing the butter and admired the front of it. When I was younger and I'd imagined my future self, I always lived in some posh apartment with hardwood floors and pristine furnishings. The kitchen would be all stainless steel and black appliances and there would be no magnets or notes on the fridge to mar the beauty of my design.

I shook my head at the memory of what I had thought to be the perfect home, because in reality, I did have the perfect home and it was nothing like I had imagined it at fifteen.

The apartment was carpeted throughout, save the kitchen, dining room and bathroom and the walls were a simple white. The furniture was still mostly mismatched used pieces even after more than two years—Blaine refused to part with the couch _"we rescued it from an early grave_!"—and my kitchen was a mixture of old and new.

The fridge—which _was_ stainless steel and fairly new—had been a gift from my father when ours died suddenly in the middle of that first summer and was absolutely covered in Jude's drawings, his final report card from first grade—all A's he was proud to show off—and the most recent addition, a family drawing that included not only he and I, but Blaine, Finn, Jessica, Puck, Lauren, Dad and Carole. In the top corner was his name and a smiley face sticker from his second grade teacher. It was held in place by the most godawful tacky magnet which of course, Blaine and Jude had picked out together on our last family outing of the summer.

I stared at that drawing until the oven timer chimed and I set about peeling the foil from the pan and checking the meat to be sure it was done. Before I had Jude, I would have trusted the instructions, but I was ever cautious of accidently poisoning my child and I knew for a fact that sometimes things just didn't go as planned. Anything my father attempted to cook was a good example of that.

I separated the veggies from the roast so they wouldn't get soggy and took them out first, needing both hands for the roast pan itself.

I was just about to head back into the dining room with the roast when I heard Blaine whispering to Jude. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but Blaine sounded so, well, _nervous_, that I didn't want to intrude. I knew that he and Jude had bonded, hell sometimes the kid would go to Blaine with things before he would talk to me about them.

When he'd wanted to join a martial arts class his friend was in but was afraid that I wouldn't let him do something so violent, he had turned to Blaine. They'd discussed it and Blaine had assured Jude that I would be open-minded to the suggestion if he told me his reasons. And I was, once I found out that it wasn't from a desire to beat people up but rather because he thought the way people moved when they did it was really cool, almost like dancing. When I told him I was fine with it as long as he didn't hurt anyone he was overjoyed.

I also offered to put him in dance classes and he told me he thought they were just for girls. I proceeded to pull up a video of Mike Chang performing from high school that was still on one of my old flash drives and told him all about how Mike was now a choreographer in Los Angeles. If he wasn't interested in dance that was fine, but I never wanted him to be afraid to do something because of gender stereotypes.

In the end he did both and loved every minute of it. I worried briefly that he would be made fun of for being the only boy in the class, but then thought better of it. He was so happy doing what he loved. And besides, if anyone made fun of him for his dancing he could just whip out some kung-fu and whoop their asses. I don't condone violence but nobody pushes the Hummels around.

I shook away the old worries and concentrated on the voice in my kitchen. I may have only been able to hear half of it but maybe it could give me some clue as to what was going on.

"So I talked to your grandpa and he says it's okay, but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you, too."

_When did he talk to Dad? And what about_?

Blaine's words only piqued my interest and I strained to hear more, wishing I could see Jude's hands so I could make more sense of the conversation.

"Yes, I do. But I don't have it with me. I can show it to you before you go to bed if you want."

_What? What on earth is he talking about? And what does it have to do with my father?_

"Well, that's up to you. You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you wanted to I would like that. Or you can talk to your dad about that, if you want."

I was utterly confused at this point and my arms were starting to ache from holding the pan of roast. If I didn't serve it soon it would be cold, too, so I made my shoes squeak loudly against the linoleum before walking through the entryway.

Jude and Blaine spring apart like they've been caught planning a murder, both giving me over-innocent grins. Blaine exclaimed loudly about how he didn't know that roast beef could smell so good and Jude nods to everything Blaine says. I did my best to put a smile on my face and pretend like it was just another evening. I knew that whatever they'd been discussing would eventually come to light, I just hated having to wait. I was not the most patient of people.

Dinner was tense. Blaine talked too much and too loud and Jude was doing his best Finn impression, shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he could.

As soon as he was finished, Jude asked to be excused and fled from the room when I gave him permission. Blaine watched him go with a tight smile

I took another bite of roast, chewing thoughtfully as I watched the man I love push his food around with his fork before he declared he was finished, too.

I decided to leave it be for now. The issue, whatever it was, was between the two of them and when they were ready to involve me, they would. It was just one of the dynamics of our little family and it worked for us.

Blaine gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, claiming he needed to call Wes about the new record before heading into our bedroom and easing the door shut.

He had been writing songs for an artist that Wes had signed last year who wrote wonderful poetry but had a hard time putting music to the words. He was even featured vocals on a few of the songs on her last album and had been contacted about singing professionally, but said he preferred the quiet life to the glitz of Hollywood. He said he loved performing but he loved me and Jude more. I had never felt so grateful for that man coming into my life.

After graduating with my degree in special education, I was hired on at Haverbrook School to work with new students coming into the program. I worked mainly with younger children, but there was the occasional older transfer and—thankfully few and far between—accident victim who were having trouble adjusting. It was an hour commute, but with Blaine working from home I didn't have to worry about putting Jude in daycare and I still made it home in time to take Jude to his evening lessons so I couldn't complain.

I loved my job really. Life was good.

I finished cleaning the dinner dishes and went to check on Jude. He was studying his vocabulary words for the next day's test so I let him be but told him to get ready for bed when he was done.

I peeked in our bedroom to check on Blaine. He was in the middle of Skyping with Wes and froze mid-sentence when he noticed me. He smiled thinly at me but his eyes were about to bug out of his head. I figured he and Wes were arguing, _again_, so I just mouthed 'sorry' and closed the door. I had a few things to do for work the next day that would keep me busy until he was done.

I was about to get up and remind Jude about bedtime but Blaine popped his head out of our bedroom door and announced that he was taking bedtime duty tonight because I had so much work to catch up on.

"Alright, but don't forget I get goodnight hugs before it's all said and done," I hollered at his retreating form. He waved at me absently and I went back to work.

I had just finished up and was reorganizing my messenger bag when Jude tackle hugged me from the side. I laughed and squeezed him back, placing a kiss on his still damp hair before we both retreated to our separate rooms.

I was laying out my outfit for the next morning when Blaine snaked his arms around my waist.

"Hey there, tiger. How are you tonight?" I said leaning my head back.

"I'm grrrrreat!" he whispered before nipping at my ear.

I managed to somehow laugh and gasp at the same time, which was kind of awkward and just made me laugh harder. I could feel his warm breath against my neck as he laughed with me so I didn't feel too bad about spoiling his strange attempt at seduction.

I pressed more firmly back into Blaine's chest and felt his arms tighten around me. It was a perfect moment.

"So, are you and Jude plotting world domination or what?" I asked jokingly. I felt him tense briefly before he laughed and began idly rubbing my sides.

"Just focusing on the greater Ohio area for now but who knows what the future holds."

"Ah. I see," I mused. "Well, I know whatever it is you two will come clean eventually so I'm choosing to trust your parental judgment for the moment and not pry."

I heard the intake of breath and felt the hands still on my body before they dropped. I turned around to see what was wrong, but to my surprise, Blaine was smiling.

Not just smiling, grinning from ear to ear like I'd just given him a lifetime supply of Carole's lasagna and told him he didn't have to share.

"Blaine?" I stared at him because, really, what the hell was with that grin? Was I missing something?

"You just said I'm Jude's parent," he whispered.

I replayed my sentence in my head and realized that yeah, I kinda just did pretty much imply that he was a parent to my child. And I didn't mind, really, though I'd never imagined sharing my son with anyone, letting another person claim him like that.

"I did. Is that okay with you?" I ask cautiously. Despite knowing that Blaine loved both me and my son, I felt the need to tread lightly here.

Blaine just nodded like a bobble head doll in a paint mixer, megawatt grin still in place.

"Good," I smiled at him, relieved.

I walked over to my vanity to begin my moisturizing routine. I had just sat down and made to reach for the jar of night cream but I stopped with my hand halfway there.

"Blaine," I whispered. "What is this?"

There, nestled in between my Oil of Olay and my Aveeno was a little black box.

A ring box.

It was open, and inside sat a simple white gold band with three small diamonds embedded in it.

I was staring at it so hard I didn't see Blaine kneel next to my chair until he grabbed my hand.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," he started almost breathlessly. "You are the morning light that shines on me each day when I wake up, the stars that shine down on me before I close my eyes each night. You are the wind that blows through my hair when I walk down the street, the rain that falls against my face when I look up at the sky during a storm, the warmth that I feel on a sunny day. You are my everything. I want to spend every day of the rest of our lives showing you how much you mean to me because there aren't words enough for me to tell you properly. Would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

I was crying silently by the time he was done with his speech, but my face felt like it would split in two with the smile on my lips.

I couldn't get my mouth to work like it should, it didn't want to stop grinning long enough for me to speak so I just nodded wordlessly.

Blaine just grinned at me like he had moments before, slowly sliding the promise ring he'd gotten for me that first Christmas off my left ring finger and onto my right. That done, he pulled the new ring from it's box and gently slid it in place of the first.

He leaned down and briefly pressed his lips to both rings before bringing his face level with mine.

He didn't lean in to kiss me, just stared at me with wonder in his eyes. Those eyes that were so full of love and hope and everything good. They were mine now. Forever.

"Forever," he echoed, making me realize that I'd said that last bit out loud.

There were so many things I wanted to say right then, but I still couldn't get my mouth to form words consciously. So I did the next best thing. I closed the space between us and kissed my fiancé.

My fiancé. My future husband. My Blaine.


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: First off let me apologise for the massive delay. My laptop had an unfortunate incident with a can of Dr. Pepper and since I lost my job just two weeks before that I was broke and couldn't afford to get it fixed. That being said this is the final chapter of this story which makes me feel even worse for drawing it out but as the saying goes: poo happens. (Having two toddlers who parrot my every phrase has censored me) Thank you all for taking the time to read and review and I hope you have enjoyed this story. Also, it's really late (or early depending on how you look at it) so I hope this doesn't have too many errors.**

We didn't want a long engagement. After the surprise of Blaine's proposal—which everyone but me was in on apparently—I immediately went into planning mode. I'd planned my father and Carole's fabulous wedding in a week's time so I just knew that having from October to May would give me all the time I'd need to have the absolute perfect wedding.

It actually ended up making me agonize over every little detail and nuance and drive myself and my family insane.

"No! No, Kurt we are not having this discussion again!" Mercedes glared at me through the laptop screen and I was very happy to not actually be within reach of the diva. I had been about to launch into whether or not to change venues because even though I absolutely loved the botanical gardens in Toledo and had my heart set on the site, I felt guilty for having the wedding so far from home.

"I know, Cedes, I just, ugh..." I let my argument trail off because she was right, we'd had this discussion half a dozen times in as many months and it always ended the same: It was my wedding and nobody was going to mind the just over an hour long drive to see Blaine and I finally tie the knot.

At least, it would be a ceremony symbolizing it. Ohio still didn't allow same-sex marriages to be performed in the state, but thankfully, they had moved forward enough to recognize unions performed elsewhere. It wasn't the all encompassing acceptance I'd hoped for in my youth, but it was progress. After the wedding and the reception, Blaine and I would leave for our 'honeymoon' to New York where everything would be made official. We would have to go through a whole other set of paperwork when we returned to change Blaine's last name to Hummel and then we would start with the adoption papers to give Blaine parental rights over Jude, since the Ohio Same-Sex Union laws weren't as clear cut about that sort of thing with children born before the union. I wanted to make sure there was no question that Blaine was just as much Jude's parent as I was despite the lack of blood relation.

Mercedes just smirked at me fondly and huffed. "I know, baby. But you should know by now that all of us would have flown out to New York if you'd wanted us to. I still can't believe that you can't _really_ get married here yet. It's a load of bull if you ask me."

"Tell me about it, sweetie," I replied. "But, I always did want to go back to New York. I loved what little I got to see of it, but it will be nice to not have to worry about a fussy toddler this time."

"Yeah, I remember," she chuckled. "Littlebit was just walking and I thought you were gonna flip out trying to babyproof that hotel room."

"Oh my god, I know!" I exclaimed, laughing at the memory. "Why on earth does any hotel room need that many outlets? There were sixteen, Cedes! Sixteen!"

We both laughed for a bit, letting the memories of glee club and our highschool days wash over us. Those were some of the hardest years of my life, balancing school and friends and glee club while raising a baby, but I did miss it sometimes. I don't see my old friends as often as I'd like, but I guess that's just part of growing up.

Mercedes sighed, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I miss seeing that little guy. You send me pictures all the time, but I haven't actually held him since right after graduation. He was still so little."

"I know, I kinda miss him being that small." I really did miss being able to hold my son in my arms. As much as everyone always told me I'd miss the days of him being completely dependent on me, I never really believed it. I mean, who missed being covered in vomit and wrist deep in baby poop? Apparently, I did.

"So, no more wedding plan worries?" Mercedes asked me. I knew she was right, I was just letting myself get worked up and with it being only two weeks away, everything was already paid for, plane and hotel reservations had been made, and pulling the plug now would be ridiculous.

"Yes, ma'am," I said meekly, getting a giggle out of my old friend. We chatted for a few more minutes until she claimed exhaustion and an early studio appointment, prompting us to say our goodbyes.

I knew I should be getting to bed myself, but I couldn't resist double checking our agenda for New York. The confirmation from our travel agent had arrived the day before and everything seemed to be in order, but my paranoia was in full swing and I just kept thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong.

It was just past one in the morning when I finally slipped into bed beside my soon-to-be-husband, his quiet snores seeming less annoying and more endearing when I realized that it was a sound I would get to hear for the rest of our lives.

"Okay, so you're all packed to stay at Grandma and Grandpa's house?"

Jude rolled his eyes and nodded. I couldn't blame him, I'd asked him the same question twice already that morning. It was the day before the wedding and he would be staying with Dad and Carole for the next eight days.

"Alright, Blaine do you have all of our paperwork?" I didn't get the eye-roll from him but I did get the same exasperated nod.

"Yes, babe, it's all in the front zip pocket where you put it when you packed my suitcase last week. I haven't touched it so unless we have luggage gnomes, we're good." He smiled at me in that dopey yet patronizing way that had become habit for him whenever I was having a freakout. I glared back.

"Okay! I will double check, just to be sure," he sighed.

"Thank you," I drawled.

I knew I was being crazy but I just wanted everything to be perfect. I'd taken the three of us for haircuts last week and even gotten us mani-pedis (much to Jude's horror) but Blaine had stood his ground when I'd mentioned him getting his brows waxed—_"They are fine, Kurt! I'm not waxing my eyebrows!" "They are triangles, Blaine. Triangles!"_—and I'd eventually conceded that yes, I'd fallen in love with him eyebrows and all, so no, he didn't have to do it. I did attack him with my tweezers later that night to get the renegade hairs in the middle, though.

A horn sounded outside and Jude raced down the hall. Blaine followed behind at a more sedate pace with Jude's suitcase in tow.

Dad's old Chevy was rumbling in the parking lot and I could hear snippets of Mellancamp blasting from the speakers. He rolled the window halfway down as we neared.

"Dad, can you please lower the music level. I don't want my son to be deaf before I get back from my honeymoon."

"If I remember correctly, you used to blast your music at top volume all the time in your room," Dad said, turning the music off. "Matter of fact, one song sticks out for me involving you and that ditzy blonde from your glee club and some kind sparkly spandex getup and-"

"Okay!," I interrupted. "Well, you and Jude need to be heading home, don't you think? I'm sure Carole's waiting for you." I grabbed the suitcase from Blaine, who was giving me a look that said we were _so_ going into that subject later, and tossed it in the back before hugging Jude tightly and buckling him into the passenger seat.

I waved until Dad's truck was gone, turning back to Blaine. His face was fixed into a smirk and I knew he what he was thinking.

"Don't even think about asking, I will never tell," I said as my face began to heat.

"I just have one question: Do you still have that 'sparkly spandex getup' and if so, do I get to see it?" Blaine's mouth stretched into a grin and I smacked his shoulder and headed back inside.

We took advantage of having the house to ourselves, a rare occurrence that we knew wouldn't last long. Wes was due to arrive in less than an hour to whisk Blaine away for his bachelor party. Santana, Brittany and Mercedes would be showing up not long after to hang out with me. I knew it was tradition for the groom (or in our case grooms) to go out for one last night of crazy life as a 'single man' but I had no desire to go out to a bar and be the designated driver at my own party, so the girls and I would be spending an evening in watching rom-coms and catching up on gossip.

Wes and Puck, who had struck up an odd friendship the last time Wes had flown in to visit, were taking Blaine to some bar, the location of which the two were being overly secretive about. I figured this meant they either were taking Blaine to a strip club, which depending on the orientation of the club was bound to make at least part of the trio uncomfortable, or they had no clue and would just end up spending the night bar-hopping. I was betting on the latter because I really didn't see Puck getting anywhere near a gay bar of any sort.

Wes knocked on the door just as Blaine and I were readjusting our clothes, having mastered the art of the quickie pretty quickly after moving in together. Blaine's hair was hopeless and he grumbled that Puck would immediately know what we'd been up to. I laughed and assured him that even if we hadn't been doing _that_ Puck would still find some way to embarrass him before the night ended.

"I know," he whined. "I love you and I can't wait to see you tomorrow." Blaine would be staying at Wes' parent's house for the night, and we weren't supposed to see each other until the ceremony the next day.

"I'll meet you at the alter," I quipped, leaning in to kiss him. I meant it to be quick, a peck of a goodbye kiss, but suddenly the thought that this would be the last time I was kissing him as my fiancé, that the next time I kissed him we would be married had me pulling him closer. He must have been having the same thoughts because he wrapped me tightly in his arms, ignoring Wes who was now pounding on the door.

I was breathless when we parted, my lips tingling. "Now they're really gonna give you hell."

"Let 'em," he chuckled, kissing me one more time. "I guess I should get going before Wes goes all head-warbler and breaks down the door with his gavel."

I laughed at the mental image that brought me, releasing him reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess. Just don't do anything too crazy tonight."

"Don't worry. You and the girls will probably get up to more shenanigans than us," he said as he slipped out the door. Wes waved to me once and promptly dragged Blaine to his car.

I shut the door before they even pulled onto the street. The girls were due to arrive at any time and I still needed to fix my appearance. Blaine's sex hair was actually pretty hot looking, but my own had a tendency to look like I'd found a spot on the carpet and just rubbed my head on it.

I'd just finished with my preening when Santana barged into the bathroom without bothering to knock. Mercedes at least had the decency to call out from the front door.

"Prettying yourself up on my account?" Santana's knowing smirk greeted me in the mirror. I narrowed my eyes at her reflection.

"Why, hello Satan. Please, come in. Make yourself at home."

She raised one perfectly sculpted brow at me. "Will do, Ladylips. Now quit powdering yo nose and come have some fun with the rest of the girls."

"Just let me grab my manicure kit and my styling products and we will start this night off with makeovers," I replied with one last spritz of hairspray.

Santana's smirked widened into a full on sneer. "Nope, not tonight Mrs. Hummel. You didn't want a traditional bachelor party so we decided to go another route."

I followed her out to the living room and my jaw dropped in shock. Mercedes and Brittany were seated on the couch but they weren't alone. Quinn and Tina and were squeezed in between them and Lauren had claimed the armchair.

But that wasn't the shocking part.

I'd never been a big fan of sex-shops, but I had been a time or two when Blaine and I were feeling adventurous, so I'd seen some of the novelty items that were marketed for bachelorette parties, but never in my life had I ever seen so much penis paraphernalia in one room.

"As a gay man, you'd think this wouldn't be awkward, but somehow it is," I said when I'd finally regained the power of speech.

Lauren was wearing a candy-penis necklace and thoroughly enjoying a phallic shaped lollipop. Mercedes and Tina were holding a cake between them with a screen print of what looked like a Playgirl centerfold on the icing while Quinn sipped from a cooler cup with a Chippendale's dancer on it. Apparently, when the glass tilted the speedo disappeared. Lovely.

"Hummel, you're about to spend the rest of you're life with the same dick. Enjoy the novelty," Lauren said in her patented monotone.

I couldn't' help but laugh then at the sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing. I'd always considered myself an honorary girl in high school and I couldn't have been happier about that fact than I was right then.

"Alright then, ladies. What else have we got?"

A few hours later the cake was gone and the girls and I were almost done watching the second Nicholas Sparks movie of the night. I was just about to beg off a third movie in favor of sleep when my phone rang. The name Wes popped up on my screen and I felt my stomach lurch.

"Hello?" I said cautiously. The only reason I could think of for him calling was that something was wrong.

"Kurt, we have an issue and I think you need to come down here," Wes sighed wearily.

I didn't even bother to give the girls any details, I just told them all to load up in the car and we headed out.

It only took us thirty minutes to get to the bar where Blaine was. I still didn't know the full story of what was going on, only that no, Blaine wasn't physically hurt but that he was extremely upset and the only thing Wes could think of to calm him down was me. I had to admit to feeling some satisfaction about that even though I hated for Blaine to be upset on what was supposed to have been a fun guys night out.

Stepping into the bar was like almost like going back in time to my college days. The smell of smoke and alcohol was strong and while I knew the roaring sound was a combination of music and voices I couldn't make out a single word.

I glimpsed Puck through the throngs of people standing next to the restroom door. This couldn't be good.

"What happened?" I asked flatly, my arms crossed over my chest. Puck looked like he was trying to hold back a grin which did nothing to alleviate my worry.

"Just go on in, Hummel," he said with a smirk. "You'll see."

I walked into the bathroom prepared to see the love of my life disheveled, perhaps hugging a toilet or sobbing in the corner of a stall. I was not prepared to see said man seated in a small white sink, his legs dangling over the edge like a child's.

"Hey sweetie," I greeted him, trying to mask my confusion as to why his butt is in a dirty bar sink.

"Kurt," he gushed and I could tell that he was only slightly drunk.

"Thank god!" Wes huffs from where he'd been standing against the tiled wall. "Maybe you can get him out of there."

I walked over to my fiancé, still confused about the situation but willing to do whatever it took to keep him from crying anymore.

"Blaine, honey, why are you sitting in a public sink?"

He sniffed, his eyes filling with tears. "Kurt, I'm so sorry."

"I'm not mad that you're in a sink, sweetie," I tell him with as straight a face as I can manage. "I'm more confused than anything."

He laughed once, a wet snuffling sound and dropped his eyes to his lap and mumbled something I couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?" I asked.

He raised his head to look me in the eyes and repeated himself. "I dropped my ring down the sink."

"What?"

"I took it off to wash my hands because I didn't want the soap to leave a film on it and then some guy started talking to me which was really weird, I mean, who just strikes up a conversation in the men's room? And then he said something about buying me a drink later and I just couldn't believe he was hitting on me in a bathroom of all places and I went to grab my ring so I could get the hell out of here but my hands were still wet and it slipped and then it went down the drain and I knew if anybody ran water it might wash away so I'm guarding it." He was out of breath by the time he finished his rant and I was trying desperately not to laugh. He was genuinely upset about this and I could understand why, but at the same time the absurdity of the whole thing couldn't be ignored.

"So rather than just standing in front of the sink, you decided to sit in it?" I said as neutrally as possible.

He nodded enthusiastically and I felt myself grin.

"Have I told you today how much I love you, you crazy, wonderful man?" I said, my voice filled with wonder.

"Yes," he replied huskily. "But I'm not opposed to hearing it again."

"Ahem," an unfamiliar voice sounded behind me. I turned to see a rather sleepy looking man with a toolbox standing there. "You the guy that called about the pipe emergency?"

Blaine nodded again and tried to get up, but he couldn't. The bewildered expression on his face was priceless and I just couldn't take it any longer. I laughed until tears streamed down my face as he grumbled and tried to free himself.

"You guys realize that I'm charging $90 and hour, right? And I'm just here to get a ring out of a pipe, not a hobbit out of a sink," the plumber deadpanned.

I got myself under control and after a minute of tugging got Blaine out of the sink. He rubbed his backside where the edge had dug in and it was only the presence of the plumber mumbling about crazy kids and their weird sex habits that kept me from kissing him like mad.

It took just over an hour to retrieve the ring and after Blaine thanked him numerous times and paid him double what was owed, the man left.

"Well, I'd have to say that tonight has been eventful at least," I chided. Blaine just looked at me adoringly and I knew that if I didn't leave then we wouldn't make it back to our respective groups. As much as I loved him, skeezy bathroom sex was not on my bucket list.

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," he said softly.

"You didn't ruin it," I told him. "If anything you just made it more memorable."

I kissed him hard then, because yeah, we were in a dirty bar bathroom that reeked of Lysol and urine, but he was willing to sit in a disgusting public sink just to make sure he didn't lose his wedding ring and if that didn't deserve a kiss then I didn't know what did.

We broke apart just as Puck poked his head back in the door.

"C'mon, Blainey-boy we're not done partying yet!"

Blaine laughed then, all his previous tension gone. "I guess that's my cue."

"Yep," I replied. "See you tomorrow Mr. Hummel."

"Hmm. I really like the sound of that."

It felt like I'd just fallen asleep when my alarm clock blared and Mercedes was grumbling for me to get my 'skinny white ass outta bed'. I flashed back to junior high for a second, the standard reply of "five more minutes" slipping past my lips before I remembered what day it was. Holy crap, I was getting married in less than twelve hours.

Breakfast was a blur of half-asleep girls bickering about the lack of junky breakfast foods and whose turn it was to have the shower. We were doing most of our prep at the apartment before making the drive to the gardens, but we wouldn't change into our wedding attire until we arrived.

I was almost hyperventilating when we pulled into the lot, but Santana was there to snap me out of it with a light slap to my left cheek.

"Wow," I said, dazed. "I can honestly say I never thought I would be thanking you for physically abusing me but here we are."

She smiled at me warmly, then slapped my other cheek.

"Hey! What the hell?" I screeched.

"Just making sure your color matches, princess," she cackled.

I rolled my eyes and followed her into the dressing area to do a last minute inspection of my lovely groomsmaids.

When the music started I felt my heartbeat quicken again. Then I saw him.

Blaine looked no less nervous than I was, but underneath that he was glowing. When his eyes met mine I swore that the rest of the world had fallen into darkness. I could see him and only him.

I felt Dad take my arm and walk me to where Blaine stood, embracing us both before taking his seat.

The officiant stepped up and suddenly it was time.

Finally, I was standing in front of all the people I loved, showing them how much I loved this man next to me. When the officiant guided us through our vows and had us exchange rings I'd never felt more excited. Blaine's soft words ending with his declaration of 'I do' went straight through my heart and I hoped that the swelling in my chest was a normal feeling. If not, I could very well be having some sort of cardiac distress. I couldn't bring myself to worry too much, though, because now it was my turn.

I recited my vows, promising to love and cherish this man before me. I stared straight into his eyes as I told him and the world 'I do'. His smile in that moment was the most beautiful thing to me, I couldn't help but elaborate.

"And I always will."

**AN: Thank you all for sticking with me throughout this. I had only the vaguest of ideas of how this story would play out when I began and while I don't think any artist is ever 100 percent satisfied with their work, I have to say I'm pretty damn happy with how this turned out. I hope you are too. This probably isn't the end of this little world but I do not plan to write a full-on sequel. There may be some one-shots here and there, but I have some other projects scratching inside my head just trying to get out.**


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